My Fake Boyfriend
by IHeartUCato
Summary: "'You remember Shauna and Lauren right' I nod. I vaguely remember them as two of Tobias' friends. 'Okay. Now think of every other girl who tries to talk to me or stares at me. None of them leave me alone. Ever. And so if they think I'm dating someone...' 'Then they'll leave you alone.' I finish for him" Eventually FourTris. R&R and ENJOY! Modern AU
1. Prologue

**A/N- So, this is my new story idea! I'm not entirely sure about it, so your thoughts are welcome! Oh, and for the purpose of this story, both Four and Tris are seventeen. **

"Please Tris!" I've never heard Tobias beg before now. And I've known him a _long_ time. "Look, I'm _begging _you! I'll even get down on my knees if that's what it takes!"

I sigh. "I don't understand this Four." I tell him calling him by the nickname I gave him when we were younger. He had to wear glasses at the time and since they were too big, it looked like he had four eyes, and since I was eight, I started calling him Four and the nickname just kinda... stuck. Just like how he calls me Tris. "Why the hell would you want to date me?"

He shakes his head. "I wouldn't. That would just be too... awkward." He says. "I just need you to _pretend _to be my girlfriend. Please Tris!"

"Why though? This makes absolutely no sense Four." I tell him getting off the couch in my living room to start pacing. We had just been hanging out like we do all the time. We've been friends for... as long as I can remember really.

Tobias just sits there watching me. "Seriously Tris, could you at least sit down? You're really freaking me out. You're stressing over nothing."

"Over _nothing_!?" I snap, sitting on the opposite couch none the less. "Well, why don't you try having the person you've been friends with since ever all of a sudden ask you to pretend to date you without giving a reason."

He rolls his eyes, the hint of a grin creeping over his lips. "Sorry, but I really doubt you'd ever do anything like that." I narrow my eyes, even though I'm holding back a grin too. "Alright, alright." He says holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, so you remember Shauna and Lauren right?" I nod. I vaguely remember them as two of Tobias' friends. "Okay. Now think of every other girl who tries to talk to me or stares at me." I raise an eyebrow at him.

That's practically all the girls in our school. It's really not that hard to believe though; Tobias really is quite handsome. Standing at six feet with a strong build and add that to his short-ish dark brown hair, strong jaw and the deepest blue you'll ever see, it's no wonder nearly all the girls want him. "Okay... the point being...?"

"None of them leave me alone. _Ever_." He says and I can understand why this annoys him so much. Tobias is a pretty secluded guy, he doesn't have a lot of people he actually considers his friends. "And so if they think I'm dating someone..."

"Then they'll leave you alone." I finish for him. "Okay, that makes sense. Kinda. Not really."

He stands up and moves in front of me. "_Please_ Tris. I'll be your best friend!" He says smiling down at me. I just place my hands on my hips and stare at him. He huffs out a breath. "Fine. Since you _obviously_ don't care about my friendship, I'll owe you one."

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Yes!" He says happily, pulling me into a hug. "You're the best, Tris!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever."I tell him, despite the fact that I'm hugging him back. I pull away and look at him; he's grinning from ear to ear. "You better go soon though. Don't want to get your dad mad."

Something flashes across his face- fear maybe? - but he quickly covers it up and smiles at me. "Yeah, ok. Thanks again Tris! And remember, we start 'dating' tomorrow at school!" He says putting air quotes around 'dating'. He then waves before leaving my house.

I stay standing there until I hear the motor of his motorcycle revving out of my driveway. I sigh once I can no longer hear him. "What have I gotten myself into this time?" I mutter.

**A/N- So. Do you guys think I should continue it? I'm not entirely sure how this'll work but I'll try it out! Sorry it's so short, but it's just a prologue. Please remember to like my Facebook age or follow me on Twitter! (links on my profile) LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N- Okay, so I'm really glad you guys like this idea! Can I just quickly say that since I'm not in high school, I'm sorry if I make any mistakes about anything. Also, just a reminder that since this is a Modern AU the factions don't exist. Hope you guys like this!**

I wake up in the morning to my blaring alarm clock spewing senseless lyrics. I groan and smack it into shutting up. I roll over pulling my blanket up over my head promising myself that it'll only be a couple minutes.

I don't get a couple minutes though- or maybe I do? - Before there's a knock on my door. "C'mon Beatrice!" It's my older brother Caleb. He's usually more of an alarm clock than my actual one. He's also more consistent. I groan in response. "Do we really have to do this every morning? Just hurry up and get ready!"

I sigh but drag myself out of bed and into the shower. I make sure the water's cold at first to help me wake up before warming it and actually showering.

Once I'm out, I dress in my normal outfit of a t-shirt, jeans and my scuffed-up tennis shoes. I run down the stairs and into the kitchen where I grab a piece of toast to eat until my ride arrives.

My mother sighs as she watches me eat. "You know," she starts, still staring at me. "If you were to actually listen to your alarm clock, you'd have time for an actual breakfast."

I shrug and tell her around a mouthful of toast, "Who needs an alarm clock when you have a Caleb?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear as they say. Caleb strolls into the kitchen and rolls his eyes. "I wonder what you would do if I just decided not to wake you up one of these days. It would make for an interesting experiment."

I grin up at him. "You wouldn't do that; you care too much." He just rolls his eyes again and kisses our mom on the cheek before saying his goodbyes and leaving for school. "You know," I say turning to my mom. "I'd be more inclined to wake up earlier if I had a way to get to school on my own." I tell her hinting at the fact that I've wanted a car ever since I got my license last year. Having my own car would be so much easier than relying on my best girlfriend Christina for rides everywhere.

My mom sighs. "Beatrice..." We've been down this road plenty of times before, but that doesn't stop me from trying. Our family is by no means poor, but we aren't rich like the Eaton's either. Tobias' dad is the mayor of our city so suffice it to say that they have money.

I sigh. It doesn't make it any less disappointing though. "I know mom. You can't blame me for trying though. Especially since Caleb has one."

My dad works as Marcus Eaton's 'secretary' you could say. The pay is good, but it's substantially less. Marcus and my dad have been friends since high school, so it's only natural that Tobias and l would be friends too.

Just them, a knock on the door signals the arrival of Christina so I grab my bag and kiss my mom's cheek before opening the door to a surprise.

Instead of Christina being at my door, Tobias is. "Well this is a surprise." I say greeting him with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He grins at me. "Well since we're 'dating' now, I thought I should give you a lift to school so I called Christina and told her I could take you."

I totally forgot about mine and Tobias' conversation yesterday. Why exactly had I agreed to this again? And then another thought hits me. "Wait, so does this mean I have to ride to school on that metal death trap of yours?"

He frowns. "Don't insult my baby." He says protective of his motorcycle. "What do you have against it anyway?"

"Well, it ruins my hair and I don't happen to like bugs in my face. Plus, no matter what you say, there is no way its actually safe." I tell him.

He rolls his eyes and grins. "It's either the death trap or you'll be late for school." He says offering me his extra helmet.

I glare at him but take it anyway, marching over to his bike. He grins again, getting on first before I slide on after him, hugging him tightly from behind so I don't fall of his 'baby'. He just chuckles at me before shooting out of my driveway and off to school.

The entire ride to school was probably faster than if I were with Christina, especially with Tobias' reckless weaving though traffic and speeding. No one's about to stop him though, he _is_ the mayors son after all.

So when we arrive, I instantly take my compact and hairbrush out of my bag. It's not like I really give a damn about how people see me, but it's also not like I want to walk into school with my dull blend hair looking like a tumbleweed landed on my head. I brush my hair out and deem my hair not tumbleweed-like before turning to Tobias.

"So how exactly is the whole 'dating' thing gonna work?" I ask him.

He shrugs taking his helmet off and locking his bike up. "Just pretend to be my girlfriend." He says simply.

"Oh, really? Wow, I thought I was supposed to act like you sister or something!" I tell him sarcastically.

"Wow, you're in a really pissy mood this morning." He says looking at me. "But, I don't really know either. Remember, I've never had a girlfriend before just like how you never had a boyfriend." He reminds me. He doesn't say it like how some might, throwing it in my face, he's just stating facts. So very... Tobias-like. "Just do what's natural I guess."

"Well, 'natural' for me when it comes to you is teasing you about everything. Nothing to do with dating you." I tell him. "So excuse me if my acting is really awful."

He laughs and takes my hand in his. "Well I guess you'll just have to try harder then."

I look down at our hands and then nod. Tobias and I have been friends forever, we've held hands before. We've even kissed each other before. Not on the lips, but I remember when we were seven and we used to camp out to watch the stars, before we went to sleep, Tobias kissed me on the forehead and I kissed his cheek. Somehow though, this feels different. We weren't pretending to be anything then, we were just friends. "I don't think I can pretend to date you. I mean, we've been friends too long. And even if I can, there's no way I'll be able to _not _say anything to anyone."

He seems to think about this for a second before, "Then don't. Just... act like we did when we were younger. But you can't tell anyone Tris, not even Christina." I take a deep breath and nod. I'll try. "Now c'mon," He says tugging on my hand. "Don't want to be late."

We walk into the school hand in hand and towards our lockers. They aren't right next to each other, but they're close since we have the same home room. History. Bleh, who wants to wake up just to be bored to sleep again?

However, the normally quick walk seems to take ten times as long because of all the whispers that come from the people we pass and all the venomous glares that are directed, not at us, but at me.

"Just ignore them." Tobias mutters and I slightly nod.

When we reach my locker, he stops and kisses the top of my head and winks at me before going over to his. I smile a bit and shake my head while opening my locker. Maybe these guys will believe it for a bit, but there's no way we're going to be able keep this up.

"So, walking down the hall, I've heard a very interesting rumor." I turn to see Christina opening her locker that happens to be right next to mine.

"Oh? And what is that?" I ask her nonchalantly.

"That you and the Big Bad Hottie are dating now." She says turning to stare at my face. Her dad is a lawyer so she's pretty good at reading people. I roll my eyes at her stupid nickname for Tobias. Although, I call him 'Four' so I'm not really one to talk.

"Well," I say closing my locker holding the books I'll need for my first couple periods. "I am."

Her jaw drops and she stares at me. "Is that why he called and said he'd pick you up?"

"Probably." I tell her.

"Well, whatever happened to 'He's been my friend forever, I'm not dating him'?" She says quoting me with her nasely immitation of my voice.

I shrug. "Things change. And I do _not_ sound like that."

"You so do, and you said that last _week_!" I roll my eyes trying to think of a better excuse when the bell rings, meaning I have to hurry to class. Talk about 'being saved by the bell'.

"Sorry, gotta go!" I say racing off to class before she can argue. It wouldn't be the first time Christina held me hostage so I could skip class to talk with her.

When I get to class, I go and sit in my usual desk in the corner next to Tobias. Since our teacher, Ms. Jeanine, hasn't come in yet, Tobias turns around and grins at me. "So far it's working." He says quiet enough that only I can hear him.

I nod. "Apparently there are already rumors going around."

"Thank you again for doing this for me."

I smile at him. "Well, you owe me remember? Tobias Eaton owing me? Who could pass that down?"

He laughs and sits back in his desk as Ms. Jeanine walks in right as the bell goes off. Who knows? Maybe this won't be that bad.

**A/N- So what do you guys think so far? I'd love to hear about it! Now, I'm on winter break for the next week, but once school starts again, I'll probably update on weekends only. So, LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**

**(And if you really want to know why I always say that (cuz I've been asked) it's just cuz I do! :D)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N- Here we are! I'm sorry that it took so long, but I had an idea for this chapter when I realized I couldn't use it. Anyway, enjoy!**

The first half of the day goes by faster than I thought it would. The constant stares and whispers from the people I pass, whether it be in class or in the hallway, annoys me to know end, though it does mean that so far our plan is working.

I shove my stuff into my locker before heading over to the cafeteria.

In this school, everyone is part of a separate clique. There are the smart people who like to call themselves the Erudite, that's the group my brother tends to hang out with. There are the people who are always blunt and tell you whatever's on my mind, which is one of the reasons most people don't like them. They call themselves the Candor. Then there are the people who are always caring and companionate and fun; they don't like the idea of labeling anyone but over time they've been dubbed the Amity. Then there's the Abnegation; the people who tend to keep to themselves. They're also who the freshmen tend to hang out with until their 'group' is established. And then there's the Dauntless. That's my group. We're the daredevils, the troublemakers, the 'punk-ass kids', take your pick. We're also really obvious to spot, we're the people with the crazy hair, the million and one piercings on our faces and if you see none of those but the beginnings of a tattoo, then they're probably Dauntless. And then of course, as there are in every school, there are the outcasts. The 'Factionless' are the ones who aren't accepted in any group and everyone takes advantage of them. Honestly, I don't know when someone decided that we had 'factions' and they were probably Erudite, but now that's what we are.

And now, we've become so dependent on these 'factions' that the idea of interacting with someone from a different one seems to give people a reason to cast you out so you can join the Factionless. It's gotten so far that in our little group, there's a couple, Edward and Myra. Myra would fit in so much better with the Amity, but she hangs out with us so no one will think less of them for dating outside of our little cliques. I guess the only exception there is Tobias.

Aren't _we_ petty.

I sigh and get in line for food and come out with a burger. Thank god it isn't meatloaf day. I go over to my usual table where Christina, her boyfriend and one of my best friends Will, my other friends Al, Uriah, his brother Zeke, Marlene, Lynn, Shauna and Lauren all sit. And then I see Four opposite of Zeke talking about something and I smile to myself.

I go over and sit at the end of the table next to Four finishes with Zeke and he puts his arm around my shoulder, drawing me closer to his side and I let him.

"Huh." Uriah says looking at me and Tobias with an amused look. "I try to normally ignore the gossip that goes through here, but I guess it's true that you two are dating now."

"Yep." The two of us say at the same time.

The reactions from the table vary from surprise from Will, curiosity from Christina, what looks like disappointment from Al, jealousy from Shauna and Lauren, bland indifference from Lynn, happiness from Marlene and Zeke and Uriah exchange money. I raise my eyebrow at the two of them.

They grin and shrug. "We had a bet on when you two would get together." Uriah explains. "I said it would be after the new year,"

"And I said it would be before." Zeke finishes flashing twenty bucks. "I won."

Uriah rolls his eyes and I laugh at the two. "I honestly don't see the big deal." Lynn says blandly while glaring at me. She never really has liked me, the only reason she sits with us is because Marlene and Uriah are her friends and Shauna is her older sister so if she didn't sit with us she'd probably have no one. "They got together, whoop-dee-do."

Lauren and Shauna glare at me and Shauna closes her eyes and takes a breath before moving closer to Zeke. I always thought that if Shauna got over Tobias she and Zeke would make an awesome couple. Zeke raises an eyebrow but makes no move to push her away.

"So how'd... _this _happen?" Will asks, always curious. I've often joked that he'd fit I with the Erudite just as much as with us.

I shrug and try to think about a story when Tobias covers for me. "Well we've been friends forever so it was kinda just escalating to this."

"Well _I'm _at least happy for you two." Marlene says cuddling up to Uriah.

"I am too, don't get me wrong." Uriah says putting his arm around Marlene. "But couldn't you have waited until _after_ the New Year?" I just roll my eyes at him.

Christina cocks her head and narrows her eyes at me. She doesn't buy it. Luckily she doesn't say anything about it though. Instead she smirks. "Well let's just hope Peter doesn't get all jealous."

I snort. "He wouldn't be."

"Oh c'mon Tris." Lynn says with a smirk that seems a lot meaner than Christina's. "We all know he picks on you the most just because he likes you."

"He does not." I say exasperated. Peter is one f the most annoying jerks ever. He picks on everyone, but he picks on me specially and every one of my friends is convinced that it's because h likes me. I _know _it's just because I'm small and he thinks I'm weak.

Of course, this leads to a huge discussion about whether or not Peter likes me, and then Peter in general. And once that topic is used up, everything turns to mindless chatter about school, what's going on, who's dating who, the dance coming up in two months, anything anyone can think of to talk about.

I've never really saw the point in going to the dances, and I've never understood why my friends feel the need to talk about them when they're still months away. I guess it's because most of us are couples. Christina has Will, Marlene has Uriah, Zeke _should, _and probably will, have Shauna, Lauren probably would've had Tobias if we weren't fake dating, Christina thinks Al likes me and Lynn... well she's Lynn.

"So I guess this means you two are going to the dance together?" Al asks. It's the first thing he's said since I sat down.

I look to Tobias and he grins. "I guess."

"Yes!" Christina squeals. "I _finally_ get to give you a makeover for a dance!"

I scoff and roll my eyes at her. "Only _you_ can make that sound exciting."

She ignores me and goes on about how we're going to have to go to a salon and get our hair and nails done, and then go dress shopping and then she gets to have her fun with makeup. "Ooooh! You guys should come to!" She says to Marlene, Lauren, Shauna and Lynn.

Marlene quickly agrees saying it'll be great 'girl time', Shauna shrugs saying it could be fun _if_ she has a date she adds pointedly at Zeke who says nothing. Lauren pointedly refuses saying she doesn't know if she's going and Lynn just stares at her like she's insane.

"Seriously, the dance is _two months _away. What's the big deal?" I ask Christina exasperated. The only thing I hate more than the dances themselves are how all the girls freak out about them.

Someone snorts from behind me. "Spoken like a true guy. I thought your 'figure' pointed towards that, or lack thereof." I turn around to see Peter standing there with his two cronies Molly and Drew.

"Get lost Peter." Tobias growls.

He just snorts again. "Why? Because you don't like the fact that I insulted your ugly-ass girlfriend?"

I cork an eyebrow and look at him. "You want to talk about ugly? _Please_. Your birth certificate was probably just an apology from the condom company." I reply, causing laughs to come from behind me.

Peter's face goes beet red and he looks like he's about to say something when Tobias stands in front of him. Tobias isn't the tallest guy out there, but he's certainly intimidating. Peter glares at him a moment longer before spinning on his heel and storming away. And in this time, no one spared us a second glance. Except, you know, the girls who keep sending me venomous glares and glancing between me and Tobias. Other than them, no one spared us a second glance.

"Wow Tris." Zeke says still laughing. "Never thought you had it in you."

I blush at the attention and Tobias grins kissing the top of my head making me blush even more. I've never really been a fan of public displays of affection.

The rest of the school day goes by quickly, and when it's finally time to go home, Tobias offers me a ride home and after a quick glare from me, I hop on his motorcycle behind him. He recklessly drives to my house and drops me off saying he'll pick me up tomorrow.

Who knows? Maybe this'll all work out and Tobias will find a girl he really likes so we can fake break up and I can stop lying to my friends. One can only hope.

**A/N- Okay, so how was it? Now, as for my idea, I need **_**girls**_** out to ruin their 'relationship' because the whole point of it is for Tobias, so I need you guys to submit OCs! I hate making them and so I'll ask you to help me! I need three girls. Now, I'll only accept one per person and if I get extra ones, I'll choose which ones I'll use. LOVE YOU GUYS, BYE-BYE! **


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N- Heyo! Sorry it took so long, but since school started again, my writing time is really weekends only now. Thanks to all of you who sent me your OCs, I'll mention them in the chapter so you know who I picked, but the more important things will happen later ;) And how do you like my new cover!? The drawing is by the lovely **ice-ridden**. ENJOY!**

When I'm woken up in the morning, it's not by my stupid alarm clock or by my brother. Instead, I'm woken up by an insistent tapping on my window. At first I think it's just the wind or the tree outside my window, but when the tapping continues, I roll over to see what's happening and I'm met by the brown eyes of none other than Christina.

I jump back, but since I'm in my bed, I just end up rolling off the bed and getting tangled up in my blanket.

When I manage to untangle myself and make it to my window, Christina is laughing so hard she looks like she might fall off the branch she's perched on.

I can't say I'd be very upset at the moment.

I stop in front of my window with my hands on my hips and I glare at her. She laughs for a while longer before finally wiping her eyes and pointing at the window. I raise an eyebrow at her and shake my head with a smirk. She narrows her eyes at me and purses her lips. I smile and shrug, walking back to my bed and lying back down. She starts tapping again, but I shove my pillow over my head, mostly blocking out the annoying sound.

It doesn't work well enough.

I sigh and look at the glowing numbers of my alarm clock. _4:35_. What the hell. I groan and pull myself out of my bed again and go open the window for her to climb in. "Took you long enough." She grumbles as I close the window behind her. "And it was damn cold out there."

"Yeah well I didn't expect you to come waking me up at four-thirty in the morning." I shoot back, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"You and Tobias' 'relationship' is bull." She says getting straight to the point as usual.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say as calmly as possible. I have to bite down a bit on my lip to keep me from telling her everything.

She shakes her head. "Whenever you lie, you bite your lip. It's your tell. My dad is a lawyer, remember? So why are you lying to me?"

I make sure I'm not biting my lip when I answer. "I'm not."

She sighs. "Fine, whatever Tris." Then she sits down on my bed next me, making herself comfortable. "So, since I'm already here, other than the fact that you and the Big Bad Hottie are dating what's up?"

And so for the next two hours Christina and I talk about anything and everything that doesn't involve me and Tobias together. When it gets around six-thirty, the two of us say our goodbyes before laughing that we'll see each other soon anyway.

For the next twenty minutes, I try to go back to sleep, but since I fail miserably, with a groan I get up. I grab some clothes and go into the bathroom to shower. Ten minutes later, I get dressed and brush my hair out and when I leave the bathroom, I lean against the wall and watch Caleb hammer against my door. "Tris!"

"Yes?" I answer grinning. Caleb jumps and spins around giving an extremely high-pitched shriek. I burst out laughing.

Caleb glares at me until I stop laughing. "I can't believe you're actually awake."

I shrug and head towards the stairs. "Christina visited and I couldn't sleep."

I run down the stairs and enter the kitchen to see that my mom is sitting at the kitchen table with Susan.

Susan and her brother Robert are our neighbors and have been for the past five years. They're great friends but I swear Susan and Caleb would make the cutest couple. They don't believe it though because Susan hangs with the Abnegation. And then her brother Robert with the Amity.

"Good morning Beatrice. How are you today?" She asks politely as I sit down across from her.

"Good morning to you too Susan. I'm doing great. How are you?" I ask her.

"I'm doing fine." She says smiling. "Oh, and congratulations on you and Tobias' new relationship."

I remember that I never told my parents or Caleb (Not like I'd need to tell _him_) yet, so I turn to see my mom's reaction, but she just raises an eyebrow and leans back with an amused look on her face.

Caleb, on the other hand, was not so amused. "You two are _dating _now!?" He yells, surprised, as he walks in.

"Yeah." I answer facing him. "I thought you'd know that by now."

"Everyone was talking about it yesterday." Susan adds before blushing. She believes, and I'm not saying she's wrong, that gossip is mean and wrong and therefore listening to it is wrong.

"Really? I was in the library." He tells her. Then he turns to me and frowns. "There is no way I'm letting you date him."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "And how exactly are you going to stop me?"

Our mother chuckles. "Susan, how about the two of us talk somewhere else hmm?"

The two leave, but I'm too focused on Caleb to care. I'm not actually dating Tobias, but I should still have the freedom to date whoever I want. "I-I... Uh..." Caleb stutters trying to come up with a reason (EXCUSE!) for me not to date Tobias. "You just... You deserve better than him Tris." He finally says.

That kind of rubs me the wrong way. "I deserve _better_? It's nice to know that you care, Caleb, but this is _Tobias _we're talking about. You know, the guy we've friends with forever?"

Caleb just sighs and then there's a knock on the door that he goes to answer. "Oh. It's _you_." I hear Caleb say from the door.

"Yeeaah..." Oh joy, _this'll_ be interesting. "It's me. Hey Caleb."

I go over and lean against the wall behind Caleb and when Tobias sees me he gives me a confused look to which I shake my head.

"What are you doing here Tobias?" Caleb asks, not moving from the door.

Tobias raises his eyebrows at my brother and lifts up his keys. "I'm here to give your sister a ride."

Caleb and Tobias have always had a... tense relationship. Caleb really only talked to him because Tobias has, and always will be, my best friend. Caleb's always thought that Tobias was a bit too closed off and secretive to be a good friend. I can respect that he doesn't want to say everything so I don't push Tobias to say anything he doesn't want to and I can see past his secerativeness.

Caleb gives a huff. "So not only are you dating my little sister, you're putting her in danger by getting her to ride that metal deathtrap of yours?"

"Oh my god Caleb!" I groan picking up my bag and brushing past him to Tobias. "Ignore him, he's just being over-protective." I mutter.

Tobias grins a bit. "So you don't think my baby is a deathtrap?"

"No, it is." I amend. "But he's all weird now that he knows we're 'dating'."

"That we are." He says throwing his arm around my shoulder. Then he turns his head far enough to wink at my brother who is _still_ standing at the door with a condescending look on his face.

I laugh and shove his arm off me as I pull on the helmet and get on his bike behind him. "You did that to purposefully bug him!"

"Maybe I did." is all he says before he speeds up and we head to school.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The first half of the school day goes by quickly, especially now that I'm used to the looks I keep getting. I hope that soon they just stop. I don't like being the center of attention.

I sigh and slam my locker shut. I turn to go to the cafeteria, but in my way is The Blonde Squad as me and Christina call them. Chloe Lart, Alison Cambridge **(I hope the last name is ok)** and Caitlyn Hanger. The three of them are cheerleaders and Alison is the head. The three of them are probably the most popular people in this school. They all have that sort of beach-y look, with tanned skin all around, golden blonde hair and bright eyes.

"Beatrice Prior." Alison drawls. "This is perfect! We've been meaning to talk to you."

I give them a tight smile and reply. "Well, I'd love to talk to you guys too, but I really need to get going." I say politely before trying to walk past.

Chloe gets in my way. "Oh well that's just too bad. I'm sure it can wait."

I purse my lips and am about to argue when Caitlyn interrupts. "It shouldn't take long. We just need to get a point across."

I roll my eyes and take a step back so that I can face all three of them. Alison gives me a sickeningly sweet smile. "Look sweetie," She says and I roll my eyes again. "I'm afraid to say this, but none of us really think you and Tobias are right for each other."

Of _course_ this is why they wanted to talk to me. I sigh. Whatever. "Well, if that's really the case, then I guess the two of us will find that out on our own." I answer. "Now if that's all..."

Alison purses her lips at me and Chloe takes over. "Well, hun, we just don't want to see you hurt." She says in the same overly sweet manner. "So we all think it'd be best if you two just break up."

"And _I_ think it'd be best if you three let me get going." I say fake-smiling back at them.

Caitlyn steps forward next. "Well, honey, that isn't really an option. None of us would like to see you hurt by something like that."

I sigh. "Seriously, can I just get going? It's obvious you guys just want Tobias for yourselves. I get the message. Let's move on." I try to walk past her again but Alison steps forward.

"No, I don't think you get the message." She practically snarls. "You need to break up with Tobias because. He. Is. _Mine._ And if you don't, I'll make your life a living hell." I raise an eyebrow at her as she steps back giving me room to leave now. "Capiche?"

I roll my eyes and push past her to the cafeteria. When I finally sit down with my food Al asks, "Where were you?"

"Just asking a question for math." I lie. There's no point in telling anyone about the Blonde Squad.

Four snorts. "Well you could've just asked your brother. Who seems to hate me now." He adds. Then he sighs dramatically, bringing his hand up to his heart. "And after all we've been through."

We all laugh and listening to the adventures of my friends, I forget about the Blonde Squad and enjoy the rest of lunch. They probably meant nothing anyway.

**A/N- So, next chapter next week :) And have any of you read the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout? If you have, I NEED STORY IDEAS! THERE ARE ONLY 2! And if you haven't, READ IT! It's sooo worth it! LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N- So... hi... um... PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I... I don't know what happened! I just kinda had a motivation block. So I'm sorry that this chapter is so crappy and short. I'm sorry. So here's chapter 4...**

After school, I head over to Tobias' house to work on our History project on World War I. Kinda. Well, that's really just what we're saying for our parents' benefit. Although by now they've probably figured out that we really just hang out.

We do try to work though. It just never really gets anywhere. Usually because of me. This time included.

I groan and drop my textbook. "Can we do _anything _other than this?" I ask Tobias.

"I really don't see what your problem with doing actual work is." He says rolling his eyes at me.

"Well, it's boring for one." He snorts. "Okay, _you_ tell me doing homework is fun then."

"Hey Tris, quick question." I look up and see he's almost grinning. "Are you on your period or something?"

I narrow my eyes at him and throw my useless textbook at his head. Sadly he catches it. "Screw you."

He flashes me a full-on grin before throwing my book towards my bag, landing right on top. "So why exactly does your brother hate me so much now?"

"I really don't know. He's... I don't know, just really weird." I tell him and laugh.

"Well he's Caleb so I wouldn't really expect anything less from him." We both laugh and for the next two hours we talk about random things the way that only people who've known each other for years could. However, I find myself noticing things that I haven't before. Like the way that he smiles more when he's around me than around others and how much I love that little quirk of his lips. And how his deep blue eyes are brighter when we're talking about something stupid and how much I love that I'm the cause of it.

When it starts to get late, I pack my unused textbook into my bag and throw my coat on before heading downstairs.

"It's pretty dark out, need a ride ho-" Tobias stops midsentence and mid-step so quickly I almost run into him. I step around him to see that both his parents (who I rarely ever see together) and my dad sitting at the table. "Um hey. Didn't hear you guys get here." Tobias says almost coldly.

"We got here just a little while ago son." Marcus says. "And why didn't you say that you and Beatrice here were dating?"

I feel Tobias tense beside me and I glance up to see his eyes are cold and hard. I don't think I've ever seen him like this.

Evelyn scoffs. "Don't look at us like that Tobias. Anyway, you could do much better." She says sparing me a glance. "I mean really, I get that you two have been friends for a long time, which I _still_ don't understand, but if you're really going to date someone, you could at _least_ go out with someone who will actually make something of herself."

I just stand there and gape t her like a fish out of water.

"Come on now Evelyn. No need to be rude." Marcus chastises her.

"Especially not with both her and myself in the room." My dad says to Evelyn. "But, if you'll excuse us." He says turning to me. "I believe it's time to go, Beatrice."

I close my mouth and nod before muttering a quiet, "See you later." to Tobias and following my dad out and into his car.

We sit in a tense silence for a while until he finally speaks up. "Why didn't you tell me you were dating Tobias?"He doesn't sound... _mad_ exactly, just not very happy.

"Because it never really came up...?" I say, but it sounds weak, even to me.

He just shakes his head. "He's a good boy; I just wish you'd told me instead of your mother."

I find myself letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I mean Four and I aren't even really dating.

"Although, it'll be very hard to explain to his father why I beat up his son if he ever hurts you." My dad says, half-joking and I find myself laughing. My dad isn't one to joke a whole lot so when he does, it's something I try to remember when his job gets stressful.

We spend the rest of the drive home in relative silence, making small talk every so often. But my mind keeps drifting to what Evelyn said about me. I mean I knew she didn't specifically like me, but that was a bit harsh even for her.

I mean really. "If you're really going to date someone, you could at _least_ go out with someone who will actually make something of herself"? Come on. I inwardly roll my eyes. She knows nothing about me.

And yet, even when I go to sleep that night I can't help but feel a sense of foreboding and confusion from what she said.

**A/N- So... what do you think? Again, sorry it sucked so badly, but my motivation to write this wasn't that great. So maybe I could get some motivation? And even then, I don't know when I'll be able to update again. My life is pretty sucky at the moment. But I'll see what I can do. LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N- So yeah. I'm back! I wonder how many people decided that I would never update again... I was certainly thinking that may happen. But it didn't! WIN! And no, **PurpleQueen98,** I'm not on my period. Or, I wasn't when I wrote last... Anyway, again, my writing is horrible! So sorry but here you go!**

When I wake up in the morning, via Caleb per usual, I get ready for the death trap that is Tobias' motorcycle, but when the telltale knock on the door comes, I'm greeted by Christina instead of Four.

"Oh, hey!" I say when I open the door.

She snorts and crosses her arms. "So sorry I'm not your boyfriend, but he has a tendency to call me when your ride to school changes instead of you. I will never understand the boy, and I don't think I really want to."

I laugh along with her and follow her into her car. "Yeah, I think he's learned his lesson on not calling me in the morning. Last time he did I threatened to rip his motorcycle to shreds." Christina laughing again and I do too. "I'm not kidding! I'm not a very friendly person in the morning."

"The poor guy! His motorcycle is like... his baby or something!" Christina exclaims.

"Actually, he does consider it his baby."

She proceeds to laugh so hard I'm worried she'll steer us into a ditch or something. Eventually she stops and wipes her eyes. "Damn. And I thought _I _was protective of my car."

I roll my eyes and let the conversation die down until we make it to the school. We split up as the bell rings and I head into class.

When I get into the classroom, I see that Tobias is already here and sitting in the corner with his head on the desk. I take the seat beside him and he doesn't seem to notice. I raise an eyebrow and pull a pen out and poke him in the head.

"Ow! What the hell?" He asks rubbing his head and turning half around.

"Well you stole my spot so you deserved it." I tell him grinning slightly.

Tobias just looks at me, still not turning his face fully. My grin falters. "Everything ok?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. Sorry." And then he goes back to laying his head down on his desk.

"Four?" I ask concerned.

"I'm fine Tris!" He snaps. I'm taken aback. He never snaps at me. And then he winces. "Sorry Tris. I just- Sorry."

"Yeah, whatever." I mutter turning back to face the front just as Ms. Jeanine comes in.

I zone out for most of the class, only catching snippets of the lesson. I think we're still talking about World War I. All I can think of though, is how Tobias is acting. He seems tired and just withdrawn. The one time Ms. Jeanine calls on him, he answers in his instructor voice. The last time I heard him use that voice, was when Peter thought it would be funny to take my bag and hold it high above my head, and with my damn size, I couldn't reach it. Four came along and scared the crap out of him, by just using his voice. He always called it his instructor voice because that's apparently how he would talk if he were a teacher.

And then I remember how he looked last night when we stumbled upon our parents in the kitchen. Everything about him was harsh and cold, his eyes especially. I didn't even realize such beautiful eyes could be so scary.

When the bell rings, I collect my things and stare at the back of his head. Still lying on the desk. Still facing away from me. "You coming?" I ask, almost afraid to.

I hear him sigh. "Yeah in a bit. Don't wait up for me."

I hesitate for a moment before nodding, even though I know he can't see me, and back out of the room.

For the next couple periods, I don't pay much attention, still thinking about Four and why he's been acting so strange. It got so bad that during algebra that when Mr. Max called on me, I didn't notice until the rest of the class started laughing.

I sigh and slam my locker shut. I know that Tobias is secretive, but we've been friends forever, what the hell is happening with him?

I head to the cafeteria and grab some lunch before heading to our table. I sit between Uriah and Christina, and only then do I notice that eke and Tobias are missing. Damn.

"Seriously man! That's a good one though!" I hear Zeke's voice heading towards us.

"Yeah, I get it." Tobias mutters irritably.

"Yo guys!" Zeke says coming to the front of our table. "Ok, look at this and tell me it was _not _a good hit."

I turn to look at him and watch him drag Tobias forward. I gasp quietly and over the dim of the cafeteria, it seems only Christina notices. I'll be hearing about this later from her.

His left eye is a dark purple and completely swollen. The same eye that he hid from me during history.

Lauren whistles. "Damn. What happened to you?"

"I just got into a fight ok?" He snaps sitting down across from me.

"Well _someone's _a little crabby today." Uri says sarcastically. "Get punched on the wrong side of the bed?" Tobias glares at him.

I stare at him until he finally looks at me. I know he didn't get into a fight; I was with him until late last night. I try to convey this with my eyes and I guess it works because a moment later he drops my gaze before looking back up and giving me a look that says '_later'_. And damn right it'll be later; I'm not letting this go easily.

X-X-X-X-X

When the final bell goes, I rush out of the school and head to where I know he always parks his motorcycle and I feel a rush of relief as I get there before him and lean against it.

When he _finally_ appears I jump up and stride towards him quickly. When I'm in front of him I cross my arms and he looks away. "Explain. Now."

At first he says nothing, and I continue to stare until finally he sighs and grabs my elbow. "Not here." He says dragging me towards a bench.

He sits himself down on the back of it, leaving his feet on the seat while I turn and sit on it sideways, my back against the side staring up at him. He remains silent as he stares off into the distance, occasionally glancing from his bike to me, probably judging whether or not he could reach it before I stop him. But I stay quiet too. Trying to rush him into saying something never works with Four.

After what seems like forever, he sighs. "Can we just not talk about it Tris?"

"No." I say stubbornly. "I know for a fact you didn't get into a fight after school. I was with you. So what the hell happened Four?"

"It doesn't matter Tris." He says harshly.

"Yes, Tobias. It does matter." I tell him standing in front of him.

"Why? Why the hell does it matter?" He practically growls.

"Because we're friends! And friends _care_ Tobias!" I almost yell. "Plus, I want to kick whoever did that to you's ass."

He snorts. "I doubt you could." I hear him mutter.

"_Excuse me_!?" I yell at him. Just because he got punched doesn't mean he has to be a little bitch about it.

He glares at me and he clenches his jaw, grinding his teeth together. It's a bad habit he grew out of but still does when he's _really_ frustrated.

"What?" I say voice low. "Just because _you _were afraid to punch back means I would be too?"

His head snaps towards me and I immediately regret saying that. But I'm not going to take it back. But it hurts to see such anger in those bottomless blue eyes. And hurt. It always hurt to see him in pain. Even worse was when _I_ was the reason.

He stands in front of me, dwarfing me with his size. He's incredibly tense, and I can see that in the tightness in his muscles, his shirt stretching dangerously against his broad shoulders. _I never noticed how handsome he is with those muscles._ I think to myself but quickly squash all thoughts like those. I'm mad at him now. That's what matters. But it's really hard to be mad at him when I refuse to step back so I'm stuck staring up at those plump lips of his.

"Maybe I didn't mean it that way Beatrice." He says, his instructor voice slipping onto those lips of his and I wince at the use of my real name. "Maybe I just don't want you to go getting yourself screwed over."

"Well why don't you tell me who did this and I'll figure that out for myself?" I challenge him.

He grunts in frustration, running his hand through his hair, before looking back down at me. "Why can't you just let this go Tris?"

"Because I care!" I yell at him. "We've already gone over this. So why don't you just hurry the hell up and tell me who-"

"My dad did Tris!" He yells at me and I'm stunned into silence. "Ok Tris? That good enough for you? My dad did this because he was pissed at me."

We both just stare at each other for a minute, and I feel my eyes start to water before I wrap my tiny arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry Tobias. I am so, so sorry."

I feel the tears threaten to fall and I let them. I feel Tobias' arms wrap around me and he buriers his head in my hair. He starts to shake and I feel water dripping down onto my shoulder and neck. He's crying. Tobias Eaton is crying.

"It's going to be okay. I promise everything will be okay." I whisper soothing words in his ears as he cries and I just hold him.

**A/N- Ok, so ended a bit differently than planned, but I'm happy with the content, just not my writing. Sigh. Do you guys mind making me super happy by reviewing and telling me what you think? Or checking out my friends' new community 'The Songfics of Divergent'? LOVE YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH! BYEBYE! **


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N- Yay! I updated sooner! And you know why? I actually have some ideas and you know just... 124 AMAZING REVIEWS! AHH! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! So here you go! Enjoy!**

For the next week, Tobias avoids anything that might get me at his house, while I attempt to get over there to confront Marcus. How exactly I plan to do that, I'm not entirely sure. I just know that he hurt Tobias, and I _will _make him pay. And it wasn't just this one time either. When I convinced him to come over that night, Tobias told me about how Marcus had been beating him since he was a kid. He didn't go into detail, but I got the picture. And I wanted to kill Marcus after that.

Since then, I've felt closer to Tobias. We've been best friends for such a long time, but I still knew he wasn't telling me everything. And I knew better then to pry. So knowing what happened, I feel like the puzzle that is Tobias is getting closer and closer to complete.

I know better than anyone what it's like to be pitied, I'm small and I look like a twelve year old, so I am always being underestimated, so by no means do I _pity _him. I feel horrible and I wish he'd have told me so that I could've done something, but I don't pity him.

But this... this explains so much about him. How he would sometimes zone out and I would have to pinch him to get him to come back to earth. How hard and closed off his eyes are whenever Mayor Eaton was brought up in conversation. How he never did anything that might show off any extra bits of skin, and here I thought he just didn't like swimming.

However, even though I've been growing closer to Tobias, Christina's been growing more suspicious of our 'relationship'. She's been asking constant questions about us. How many dates have you two been on? Where to? Was he a gentleman? Does she need to kick his ass? And my favourite one was asked this morning

"So how was your guys' first kiss?" Christina asked as we grabbed our books from our lockers.

I blushed and looked down. "Umm..."

"Oh my god! You guys haven't kissed yet!?" She yelled causing several people to look our way.

"Would you keep it down?" I asked her in a hushed voice. "And no, we haven't. And it's not really a big deal."

"Not a big deal!?" She yelled again before lowering her voice, just a bit. "Of course it's a big deal! It's your _first kiss_. It's a huge deal!"

"Oh? And when was yours?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"Easy." She said grinning. "Seventh grade with Al for truth or dare. But we're not talking about me. We're talking about the fact that you and the Big Bad Hottie haven't kissed yet."

She stopped us in the middle of the hallway and put her hands on my shoulders. "Beatrice Prior, you are completely right. This isn't a big deal. This is a _humongous _problem! One I plan to remedy."

"Oh?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "And just how do you plan on doing that?"

She gave me a wolfish grin before finally letting me go. "You'll see." And then she left me there to go to her class.

I sigh as I close my locker. Christina is making this near impossible to keep from her.

I walk into the cafeteria and when I reach the table I'm immediately pulled down into a seat by Uriah and Christina.

"Okay, so you and Tobias seriously haven't kissed yet?" Marlene asks leaning over the table.

I blush and then turn to glare at Christina. Sadly, I doubt it looks as intimidating as I was hoping for. "No," I say turning back to Marlene. "We haven't. And as I told Christina here, it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Uriah says incredulous. "You're insane!"

"That's what I've been saying for like ever!" Lynn says from her end of the table. "But I see no point in caring about anything she has to say."

I roll my eyes at her. "Why exactly do you sit here again?" She just shrugs and goes back to eating. "But still," I say making eye contact with Marlene, Uriah and Christina. "It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't matter?" Zeke asks sitting down with Lauren and Shauna in tow as Tobias comes and sits down beside me.

"Tris and Tobias here haven't kissed yet." Al pipes up. I almost forgot he was here; he's been really quiet for the past week or so.

"You guys haven't kissed yet?" Lauren asks, immediately interested and I mentally slap myself for telling Christina that.

I feel Tobias stiffen beside me. "No..."

"Well then you guys need to!" Christina says grinning. I glare at her.

"Definitely."Marlene agrees.

"Why?" Lynn groans. "PDA is _so_ overrated!" And I sadly have to agree with her.

"Aw c'mon Lynn! That's not very Dauntless of you. And if you really think that, go over and tell Edward and Myra that."Uriah says pointing over at Edward and Myra who are currently making out almost on top of the table.

"I think I will." She says before standing up and walking over to them. They don't even notice she's there until she yells in their ears, "Yo! Eddie! Myra! Break it up! Some of us are trying to eat our lunch, not people's faces!"

I share a wide-eyed look with Christina before we all burst out laughing and Lynn sits back down at the table with a smug smile. "There, see? Dealt with."

"Well." Christina says wiping her eyes when she calms down. "That... that still doesn't change the fact that Tris and Tobias here still need to kiss."

"Uhh yeah, you're right." Tobias says. "It doesn't. Since you know, we don't really need to kiss at all."

"Psh, 'course you do!" Christina says, still grinning.

"Wait, but if you don't want to kiss her, why are you dating her?" Lauren asks 'innocently'.

I feel Tobias tense up again. "It's not that, it's just-"

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Uriah starts chanting and soon Christina, Marlene and Zeke are joining in. Lauren, Shauna and Al just kind of sit back and watch while Lynn groans again and leaves the table.

I feel rather than hear Tobias growl at them before turning towards me. "Tobi-" I manage to get out before he grabs my chin, still managing to be gently, and kisses me.

At first I'm shocked into just sitting there and thinking 'Oh my god, this is my first kiss!' and although that may not be the most important thing about this moment, it's the first thing that comes to mind. And then I realize Tobias is kissing me. _Tobias Eaton is kissing me! _And I'm afraid of how much I'm enjoying it. I kiss him back for a moment before he pulls away and stares at me with a strange look in his eye before turning to our wide-eyed friends. "Good enough for you guys?"

Zeke is the first to respond, leaning back and whistling before he speaks. "Damn. I didn't think you guys would actually do it."

I feel my face heating up and I look away, accidently making eye contact with Al. He looks almost sad and when our eyes meet, he purses his lips and looks away.

Conversation turns to other things and I kind of tune everyone else out. Tobias just kissed me. And I kissed back. And I _liked _it. I liked Tobias kissing me.

Oh.

My.

God.

This is a problem.

"Hey," Tobias says quietly, elbowing me lightly in the ribs. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" I say looking up at his incredibly deep blue eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." I force smile up at him, even though it feels like I'm going to melt under his concerned gaze.

His eyes tell me that he doesn't believe me, and that we'll be talking about it later. But he just nods and turns back to Zeke.

I remember when Christina came to my house and told me that her and Will had kissed. She asked me if I could be a girl for a minute before she went on to tell me about how she felt about it and I can't help but remember how she told me, "It felt like there were a million butterflies in my stomach when he looked at me after, and I swear I felt like I was about to melt."

That's how I felt just now. And then I realize. I like Tobias. Like, _really _like him.

Holy crap, I'm falling for my best friend.

**A/N-Ta da! How'd ya like it? Now, sadly, I may not be able to update next week since I'm going on vacation and am going to act like a tourist the whole week. I might get a chance to update, but don't get your hopes up. LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N- Here we are! Thanks to all of you who wished me a good vacation, it was really sweet of you guys so even though I'm still on vacation, I used the time when I'm supposed to 'sleep' (whatever THAT is) to write this.**

"Hey." I turn my head to see Tobias jog up to my locker with his bag slung over his shoulder. I turn quickly back to my locker so that he doesn't see my raging blush. Ever since lunch, every time I see Tobias I blush and have to hide. Christina caught me twice, and even covered for me once.

"What? Was the kiss really _that bad_?" She had laughed the first time she caught me ducking into another hall to escape Four.

I had blushed again and shook my head rapidly. She had laughed again and given me a one armed hug. "Don't worry, it was your first kiss, I don't blame you for being all awkward and blush-y."

I gave a nervous laugh. "Did you really just say 'blush-y'?"

"That I did. And I rocked it. Now c'mon, off to class we go." She had said before dragging me to class.

"Tris?" Tobias' voice brings me back to reality and I whip around to face him, blinking rapidly.

"Oh, hey." I say lamely, blushing in his presence _again_. "Sorry, what's up?"

He frowns at me and leans against the neighbouring locker. "Everything alright?" He asks concerned.

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little distracted I guess." I say closing my locker and facing him. I'm immediately sucked into his deep blue eyes and I have to mentally slap myself to focus back on him.

"I noticed." He says raising an eyebrow. "So, I was wondering. Wanna come over later?"

The first thing that comes to mind when he says that is the kiss. And I try hard not to blush because I _know _that's not why he's asking. So instead I'm surprised. Tobias hasn't mentioned anything about me coming over this past week and every time I asked he ignored me.

"Really?" I ask. When he nods, I feel like a huge load was lifted off my shoulders. "Sure. Will we be riding your death trap?"

He snorts and pushes off the locker. "My 'death trap' is perfectly safe. You're just jealous that I care so much about her."

"Oh is that so?" I ask starting to grin.

"Why yes." He says starting to walk towards the door and I follow him. "But don't worry; you're still my second favourite." I laugh and elbow him in the ribs. "What? You can't really think you'd outrank my baby."

I shake my head at him and make my way to his motorcycle. He quickly catches up to me and falls into step beside me; walking slowly as if to remind me of how much bigger he is compared to me. "Well I am you _'girlfriend_', so I think I should rank higher than some metal death trap." I reply.

He snorts and pulls out his keys and tosses me his helmet. Whenever I ride with him unexpectedly, he tends to give me the helmet, always looking out for my safety. "Well then_ I _believe you're deluded."

"Well of course _you_ would." I say putting the helmet on.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" He asks cocking an eyebrow, an easy grin reaching his lips. Lips that kissed me not too long ago. Lips _I_ kissed back. _Snap out of it Beatrice! _I think to myself. I shake my head at him to try to move on from my thoughts. Something must have crossed my face because he furrows his brows before shaking his head and getting on his 'baby'.

I follow suite and soon we're speeding down the road towards his house. But out of the many times I've ridden his motorcycle with him, this time feels more... intimate.

Which makes no sense since we're best friends. That's it. That's all. Nothing more. Not at all.

Okay maybe I wish we were more. But we're not. And we aren't gonna be.

And all too soon he's parking in his driveway and we're entering his house. A house I've been in almost as much as my own. And yet it feels so different.

Especially since I know more than I did then.

I look up at Tobias, particularly his left eye. Over the week the swelling has gone down considerably, but there's still a purple-ish hue around it. And I imagine it still hurts quite a bit. He catches me staring and looks away pursing his lips. "It's not as bad as it looks." He says quietly, heading up the stairs.

"Doesn't take away from the fact I want to murder him." I retort, following close behind. "I'm assuming that since you actually let me come over he's not here?"

"He has an important meeting about something that I really don't give two shits about." He replies bitterly heading into his room without looking back at me.

I let out a huff of frustration. I've told Tobias that he should call someone but he says that no one would believe him. And I sadly have to agree with that. He's the mayor, even if someone were to believe it; I wouldn't put it past Marcus to pay them for their silence.

I sigh and walk into his room before collapsing onto his bed. It's not the first time I've ever done it, but it feels different. That damn kiss is changing everything, and not necessarily for the better.

"Alright." He says straddling his computer chair. "What's up with you?"

"What'd ya mean?" I ask innocently.

"You know what I mean Tris." He says rolling his eyes at me before becoming serious again. "You've been acting weird."

"How so?" I ask figuring he'll figure it out soon enough.

He raises an eyebrow. "You've been avoiding me, and don't tell me you haven't because I know you and you wouldn't skip class with Christina to shop." So _that's_ what Christina told him. Not such a smart lie. "And you keep blushing." To which I infuriatingly blush _again_. "And you've been doing it since... lunch." He finishes and looks at m with both eyebrows raised.

I look away from him and stare at the wall behind him. "Tris?" I look back at him. "About the whole kiss thing..." It's his turn to look away now. He looks down and rubs the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about that. I just..."

"I know why you did it." I say, and I do. "IT's the whole reason we're fake dating right?"

"Yeah." He says quietly before looking up at me. "So nothing changes between us?" He sounds hopeful and bit of something else I can't quite identify. Relief? Doubt? I'm not sure.

But I do my best and fake a smile. "Of course not. Best friends forever right?"

He gives me a relieved smile. "Ok. Good. I don't know that I can ever look him in the eye ever again though."

I give a weak laugh. "That bad?" I joke.

"No." He says quietly and I quickly sober. He looks back up at me and gives me a small smile. "You know, when all of this blows over, and you're not fake dating me, you're going to make some guy really happy."

I snort and lie back down. "I doubt it." Why would any guy even _want_ to date me?

And as the best friend that Tobias is, knows exactly what I'm thinking. "Don't sell yourself short Tris. You're smart, brave, selfless, you aren't afraid to speak your mind or to stand up for yourself and others. Plus, no matter how many times you say you're not, you _are _attractive Tris."

I feel myself blushing to the roots of my hair and I slowly lift my head up and peek at Tobias. His lips are pursed and he's staring at the wall beside him but I can see a faint blush. Tobias Eaton is blushing.

I don't think he realizes what he just said. Normally, I would deny everything he just said, especially the part about me being attractive, but this time it puts a weird feeling in my stomach. It means so much more now. Not like he's just saying that because he's my best friend. And that makes it kind of hurt. Because I know that that's all we'll ever be.

After a minute of silence, he clears his throat. "So um, wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Sure." I say jumping up. He smiles at me and I grin back. "You pick the movie, I'll grab the snacks?"

His smile turns into a grin. "You know where they are."

I nod and follow him back downstairs go into the kitchen, going through the cupboards and grabbing popcorn, liquorish, root beer and ice cream. I put the popcorn in the microwave and let it pop.

"What kind of movie do you want to watch!?" He shouts from the other room.

"Whatever you want!" I shout back taking the popcorn out.

When I have all our snacks, I head into the living room to see Tobias sitting on the couch with the remote in hand waiting for me. I sit down beside him and grin setting all the food down. We used to have movie night every Friday up until last year when he said he was usually busy. Thinking about it, it probably had something to do with Marcus.

Mentally shaking the bad thoughts out of my head, I cuddle up to Tobias and try to pay attention to the action movie he put in. It's nice to do it again. I sit as close to him as possible, thigh to thigh, arm to arm and about a third of the way through the movie, he pulls his arm out from beside me and puts it around my shoulder pulling me closer to him as I rest my head against his shoulder.

I'm not sure what time it is when I wake up, but the room is dark, the movie long over, and there's a blanket pulled up to my chin. I feel the steady rise and fall of Tobias' chest against my cheek and I give a sleepy smile. I feel his shoulders shake with a silent chuckle before I feel his voice rumble through him. "Hey there."

"Hey." I mumble. "What time is it?"

"Around eleven. If you want I can call your dad or brother and tell them you'll be sleeping over here." He says quietly.

It's a tempting offer, and I'm extremely comfortable, but I know I shouldn't. Especially since I know Caleb would have a spaz attack if he found out and would probably drive himself here and drag me home. "No." I say before I yawn and sit up stretching like a cat. "I should probably go home. Especially since if _your _dad's not back yet, then mine won't be either."

"True." He says rubbing the shoulder I was lying on. I grin sheepishly at him and he just smiles. "Then I'll give you a ride."

I snort. "Um no. I'd probably fall off the back."

"C'mon Tris, I'm not gonna let you fall." He says rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but it'd be pretty hard to keep me on that death trap while you're driving." I say before standing up and yawning again. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Tris, it's really late." He says, his eyebrows creasing. "Just let me give you a ride."

I shake my head. "I'm a strong girl Four," I tell him before winking. "I'll be fine. It's not really that far anyway."

He keeps staring at me before finally, he sighs in defeat. "Fine. But I want you to call me when you get home. Got it?"

"Yes mother." I try joking. The severe look on his face instantly sobers me though. "Ok, alright. I'll call you when I get there. I promise."

He nods and walks me to the door. "You sure you don't want a ride?"

"Yes I'll be fine." I tell him. He still looks concerned so I go up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek. I'm not sure in the dark, but it almost looks like he's blushing. "I'll be fine. I'm going to call you when I get home remember? I'll see you tomorrow?"

He sighs. "Yeah, sure. What do you want to do?"

I smile. "I don't know. Tomorrow's Saturday so... surprise me."

He laughs softly before pulling me into a hug. "Alright. Good night Tris."

I hug him back, enjoying the closeness all too much. "Good night Four."

When I finally let him go, I walk away from his house and turn halfway around to wave at him, still standing in the doorway. He waves back and I continue walking and watching him until he finally relents and goes back inside.

I shiver and pull my coat tighter, missing the warmth of Tobias' strong arms around me. I follow the streets until I get to the ally that I use as a shortcut. It's a bit more menacing at this time at night, but I'd rather get home as quickly as possible so Tobias doesn't have to worry.

Just as I pass the halfway point of the alley, I hear a dark laugh from behind me and immediately tense up. I'm about to turn around when strong arms grab me from behind. I'm about to scream when I feel cold, sharp metal press against my throat.

"Screaming... would be a very, _very _bad idea here." An all too familiar voice whispers in my ear.

**A/N- DUN DUN DUUNNN! So yeah. I hope you guys survive another week with such a cliff hanger ;) Also, do you guys think you can do me a huge favor? Can you like my page on Facebook? The link's on my profile... HEHE ANYWAY LOVE YOU GUYS LIKE YOU CAN'T BELIEVE, BYE-BYE!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N- You guys are so lucky that I got bored at home because now you don't have to wait so long with that cliff hanger! Although, I will warn you that from this chapter on, this story will take a dark turn for a while, but I will make sure there's plenty of fluff in here too. Think chasm incident and on from there. Oh, and speaking of dark things, this chapter goes out to the wonderful Midnight-Solace for continuously nagging me to write ;) LOVE YOU!**

"What the hell Peter!?" I hiss trying to shove his arm off me. He just chuckles darkly and pulls his arm tighter around my waist. He takes the knife off my throat though, but he keeps it in his other hand. "If you don't let go of me now I _will_ start screaming." I grit out.

"No you won't." He says confidently, his breath right in my ear. "You aren't that stupid."

I say nothing at first but quietly take a deep breath. "HE-!" I try screaming before he throws his hand over my mouth, dropping his knife to do so. My first instinct is to bit his hand and so that's exactly what I do. I bite the fleshy part between his thumb and index finger so had that I taste blood.

"SHIT!" He screams and when he pulls his hand away from my mouth and I take the chance to run.

And run I do; right into what feels like a warm brick wall. I bounce off and hit the ground and when I look up; I see Al's face looking sadly down at me. "Al?" I squeak before I'm ripped off the ground and spun around to hit an _actual _wall with my face. I manage to turn my face just in time so that instead of my nose taking the brunt of the force, my cheek scrapes on the wall and I can _feel_ my cheekbones rattling, getting ready to break at any moment.

"You shouldn't have done that bitch." Peter growls in my ear. He continues to push me into the wall, one of my arms pinned under me and the other being twisted around by him at an incredibly uncomfortable angle.

"And _you _shouldn't have grabbed me and put a knife to my throat." I retort to which he twists my arm until I cry out. "What do you even want?"

"Well, originally, I just wanted to talk." He starts.

"Well if you wanted to talk you could've just said something. Or ya know, wait until school or something." He presses me farther into the wall using my arm as leverage until my shoulder is screaming for mercy.

"But now," He continues, as if he hadn't heard me say anything at all. The pain in my arm begs to differ though. "Now not so much."

"You're pathetic." I spit out. "Just let me go."

"Hmm... No." He says, and I can practically hear the smirk in his voice. I stop struggling after awhile of straining against him as he continues to push me into the wall. I haven't forgotten Al's presence; if anything it's incredibly obvious. He was my friend and he's just standing there, blocking the exit. And I'm sure that with his large stature, if anyone were to walk past the alley from that side, no one would know anything's going on.

A while after I stop reacting to his attempts at hurting me, I feel the hand that isn't restraining me slip between me and the wall and I immediately tense. His heavy hand travels north and gropes along my chest. "You sure sixteen, _Beatrice_?" He asks laughing. "Doesn't feel like you're more than twelve."

Against my own will I let out a scared whimper, to which he laughs and squeezes me again. From the way my face is squished against the wall, I can see Al shifting his weight from side to side. "What? Do you like that?" Peter asks roughly. When I shake my laugh he just laughs, and continues until. "Oh! I think I found something!"

"Dude, enough." I hear Al say meekly from his corner.

Peter just laughs. "Calm down man. I'm just having a little fun! Why don't you join too? Work off some steam or something."

"C'mon man, that's enough." He tries again.

"Look man, if you have an issue here, then either leave, or just take it up with me." Peter says and his hand on my arm loosens as he turns and looks at Al. I take this as my chance and quickly dip down low enough to bite Peter's groping arm. Hard.

He screams flails his arm around, but I refuse to let go. He finally manages to get me off him and throws me to the ground. I crack my elbow on the hard pavement and I feel the bones in my arm reverberate, threatening to crack and splinter. I manage to roll over just in time for Peter to kick me in the ribs. I cough and feel wetness coat my lips. Then when I think he's done, he grabs my hair and slams my head into the brick wall. I scream and to my own ears it sounds loud enough to wake the entire neighbourhood.

I hear loud footsteps running away from us; Al. I turn my face enough to see Peter crouched over me, smirking. I feel blood run down my chin from my lip; it's definitely busted. He reaches down and wraps his large hand around my throat and lifts me up. I claw at his hand and try to kick at him, but it does nothing as spot cloud my vision.

But then all of a sudden, a loud roar rips through the alley and Peter's rocketed off his feet, and I fall to the ground, landing hard on my butt. I fumble along the wall and manage to get myself into a sitting position as I wait for the spots to clear.

They take their time and as they start to clear, I see someone, a guy, standing over someone else, Peter, and kicking them repeatedly. As my ears stop ringing, I start to register Peter's screams for mercy and the guy, who seems vaguely familiar, yelling insults over and over at him.

I groan and cough up some more blood and that seems to make my rescuer stop attacking Peter. He turns to me and crouches down. His face swims in and out of focus so I can't identify him yet. He seems to be taking stock of my many injuries. Then he swears sharply and glances once more at Peter.

When he turns back to me, he gently scoops me up into his arms, taking care with my head. My mystery rescuer walks me out of the alley and when I breathe in, I catch his scent. A scent I am more familiar with than anyone else. "Tobias." I croak, wincing at the scraping feeling I get I speak.

"Shh." He says quietly. "No talking. I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No. Please don't. I-I'm okay." I croak hoarsely.

He laughs harshly, hugging me to his chest as we reach his motorcycle. It's looking less like a death trap and more like a beautiful escape route. "Yeah, and you said you'd be fine walking home alone. And look at where that landed you. We're going to the hospital."

"But Tobias please?!" I beg. "If we go to the hospital my parents will find out- _everyone _will find out!"

"So what?" He snaps. "So what if everyone knows Peter beat you up in an alley. Let them!" I shrink down at the harshness in his voice and he winces. "Please Tris. I just don't like seeing you hurt. And you need medical attention."

"No, it's really not that bad." I argue as he sits himself down on his bike and adjusts me in his arms so I'm still being supported while he holds the handles. My head resting in the crook of his elbow and my legs hanging over his other one as I lay on his lap. "Look. I-I'll go to the hospital in the morning if it's that bad. Please Tobias."

He closes his eyes before he lowers his head and rests his forehead against mine. His breathing is ragged and he looks incredibly tired. I lift my hand and trace the lines of his face and cup his cheek. "Tris..." He opens his eyes and stares at me, those deep blue eyes coloured with worry and maybe a bit of relief. "I don't know if I can ever believe you when you say you'll be ok anymore. Because it seems that whenever I choose to believe you, we both get hurt."

"Tobias..." I trail off as the spots start to cloud my vision again.

He must've seen something cross my face because he gives me a weak smile and starts up the motorcycle, gently putting the helmet on my head as I wrap my arms around his waist bury my face in his stomach. "Tris, we're going to go to my house but in the morning if I think you need to, I'm taking you to the hospital. Understood?"

I give a small nod and he rockets us down the road. I stay awake for a while, moving with Tobias' breathing and listening to the quiet purr of the engine until finally, there's nothing but a hollow silence.

**A/N- Wanna know something about this story? I had originally only planned for like maybe 5 chapters. YOU GUYS CHANGED MY MIND! So um, I have to ask; what'd ya think? Please don't be afraid to be honest. LOVE YOU GUYS AND BYE-BYE!**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N- So... Hey again. Getting tired of my rapid updates yet? If not, keep all these amazing reviews coming! 214 REVIEWS! MAYBE WE CAN GET 250 BY MY NEXT CHAPTER! So I'll make you a deal, the day we hit 250 reviews I will update, and if not, I will stay up until I do. If we don't reach 250, I'll update on my usual time schedule. **

The first thing that registers when I wake up is the sound of running water and I instantly wonder when I got a sink in my room. But when I try to sit up and see where the noise is coming from, a sharp pain in my ribs makes my breath hitch and I lie back down, squeezing my eyes closed tight.

I hear the water turn off as last night's events come crashing down. Peter and... And Al... And then Tobias. Tobias... He said he'd take me to his house right? All my thoughts feel muddled and confusing and nothing's making any sense.

"Tris?" A deep, rough voice asks me and I feel the bed dip beside me. He sounds tired and worried, and then he places a cool, calloused hand on my forehead.

"Tobias?" I croak, peeling one eye open to look up at my beautiful rescuer.

At the sounds of my voice, I wince. However, Tobias seems relieved and a small smile shines in his eyes once they open. "Hey."He says softly, brushing my hair out of my face and behind my ear. "How are you feeling? Need to go to the hospital?" I try shaking my head but I find that the gesture makes me extremely dizzy so I settle with a whispered 'no' and he just frowns at me. "That's not really a compelling argument."

I cough and look away from him. "It's not that bad. My throat doesn't really hurt that much, and my ribs are feeling better." I lie.

"Maybe you should spend some time hanging out with the Candor, Tris, because you really can't lie." He says giving me a sad grin. "I called your parents and told them that we were watching a movie and you fell asleep and I thought it would just be best if you stayed the night. I'm pretty sure your dad was ready to drive over here and beat the crap out of me for suggesting something like that, but your mom apparently convinced him not to."

I let out a choked laugh and he frowns. "Thank you." I say quietly. "What time is it?"

"Four in the morning. Tris, you should really go to a hospital or at least go see a doctor. Hell, once you can walk on your own, I'm dragging you to the police station."

"What? Why!?" I ask trying to push myself into a sitting position before he gently pushes me back down by the shoulders.

"Tris, Peter _assaulted you_. We are going to the police and pressing charges." He says coldly. The look in his eyes reminds me of how he looked at Marcus. "He is going to rot in hell for what he did."

I stare up at him and slowly shake my head and give a nervous chuckle. He looks me in the eye and gives me a small grin, but it quickly falls when he sees the look in my eyes. He bites his lip and turns away. "I'm not going to press charges. I don't want him to think I'm scared." I say even though I know he already figured that much out already.

He sighs and runs and hand through his hair roughly. "Tris..." he looks down at me and I give him a pleading look. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Fine. I figured you'd say that. But if he tries to screw me over for kicking the shit out of his little punk ass I'm doing something about it."

"You're pretty scary Four." I tell him smiling nervously.

He smirks. "Only when someone hurts you."

I blush and look down at this statement. I know that he's just saying that because we're friends, but it makes me feel warm inside even though I know it shouldn't.

We sit in silence for a minute before he clears his throat nervously and I look up at him. "Um... I... I had to... your clothes... there was a lot of blood and dirt and... um... you can borrow mine for now..." He says blushing and looks away. I stare at him for a moment before I realize what he's saying. I feel a blush makes its way from the tips of my toes to my hairline and I wonder how the hell I didn't notice that I wasn't wearing actual clothes.

"Did you...?" I squeak out. He nods, still blushing and I feel like dying.

"I um... didn't see anything... well... except the bruises when I was um... checking your injuries... but um... I'm just gonna get the clothes." He stutters before jumping up and going through his dresser.

Four... Tobias... Saw me without my clothes on... I can't help but remember what Peter said to me about looking like a twelve year old. And no matter what I say to myself, the idea that Tobias has seen more of me than anyone else has and I'm so... pathetic looking makes me feel like hiding under these sheets and never coming back out.

"Um... here." He says handing me a t-shirt that would probably be small on him, but dwarfs me in size as well as a pair of shorts. "I'll um... I'll go get something for you to drink so you can change and I'll be back in a bit." He says this all without actually looking at me and then he hurries out, closing the door gently behind him.

I stare at the door for a moment before I gently push myself up and out of the bed and quickly change into the clothes and ignoring the pain it brings me before I lie back down. I groan and pull a pillow over my face to try and block out the rest of the world around me.

It doesn't quite work because I still hear Tobias' carful knock on the door and a whispered, 'can I come in'. I tell him yes and he quietly opens it and sticks his head in. When he sees me on the bed he smiles a little and comes in with a mug of something in his hand. He gives it to me and I see its hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it and I smile up at him. It's always been my favourite.

He smiles back down at me as I drink it, and I am glad to note that it isn't scalding the inside of my throat. I feel the bed start to bounce a bit and look over to see Tobias trying to stop himself from laughing.

"What?" I ask as he continues to silently laugh.

"It's... nothing." He says grinning. "You just look really... cute in my clothes." I narrow my eyes at him and cross my arms over my chest. His grin just gets bigger as he continues to watch me.

"Are you gonna just keep staring at me?" I ask starting to feel self-conscious.

"Well there isn't much else to stare at..." He says noticing my discomfort. I narrow my eyes at him again and set the mug down before I pick up a pillow and whip it at him. He takes a pillow to the face. "Hey, hey!" He says laughing "No need to get violent." I smile at him and his attempts at making e feel better. The pain in my ribs has been nearly entirely forgotten.

"Are we still on for tomorrow, or I guess this morning then?" I ask smiling.

"Well you're spending the night so I suppose so." He says quietly. "Speaking of which, we should really be getting you to sleep."

It's just then that I notice my drooping eyelids and I have to stifle a yawn. He smiles and goes over to the other side of the bed and grabs a couple pillows and drops them on the floor. "What are you doing?" I ask him.

He glances at me before dropping to the ground arranging the pillows. "You sleep on the bed, I'll take the floor." He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wha? But- No, Tobias, I'll take the floor." I tell him struggling to get out of his comfy bed.

He stands up and holds me down. "No, you're injured, you stay on the bed."

I'm tempted to tell him that we can just share the bed, but that would be beyond awkward, even for us. So I just sigh and settle back down. He smiles at me in triumph and makes a big deal of tucking me to which I glare at him and he just smirks.

Tobias lies down on the floor by the bed, and if I crane my neck enough, I can just see his outline in the dark. "Good night Tris." He says as if he can sense me looking at him.

I blush despite myself and mutter back a quiet, 'good night Tobias' before I let the darkness take me.

**A/N- TA DA! Just so you guys know, I refuse to do a chapter from Tobias' POV because it'll ruin my plans for this story ;) Perhaps later, but not any time soon. Oh, and as for the whole 'them taking it slow' thing, don't worry, I know **_**exactly **_**when they'll get together, and that will probably be close to the end of this story. LOVE YOU BYE-BYE!**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N- Crap... I didn't expect to hit 250 in a day... Well my parents weren't very fond of the whole 'stay up until its done!' idea... BUT HERE WE GO! Next quick update will be at... 350 ;) If you can get 100 reviews before my next normal time I will do my very best! **

When I wake up in the morning, I lie there taking stock of my injuries. I touch a careful hand to the back of my head and wince at the feel of a lump already forming. I lower my hand under the blanket to gently touch my ribs, pressing down just barely. I hiss quietly, and try to sit up. I manage it, but I nearly lie back down. I take a deep breath and hold it as long as I can before I let it out slowly. The pain in my ribs is much more manageable now then it was last night though, so maybe I'll be able to get out of this bed without Tobias freaking out.

Speaking of which, I can no longer see him from my spot on the bed. I stay quiet to see if I can catch a bit of his snoring. I hear nothing, but that doesn't mean much. I haven't slept over at Tobias' or vise versa since we were like eight or nine. As far as I know he's grown out of it.

So as quietly as I can, I slowly roll over to the edge of the bed. I'm thankful for how soft it is, so even if he is awake he won't be able to hear me. It hurts a little to roll, but I grab a pillow and roll on it, having to suppress a giggle. When I make it to the edge, I peek my head over, just a little and am startled by a familiar pair of blue eyes staring up at me with a sparkle in them. A sall grin peeking up from his lips.

"Hello there." He says sleepily and I blush deeply. "Spying on me, are we?"

I laugh a little and roll onto my back. "I just wanted to see if you were awake."

"Well," He says sitting up and stretching. "I am. So. What do ya wanna do today?" He asks, standing up and jumping onto the bed beside me, jostling it just a little, but it's enough to make my ribs ache a tiny bit. He seems to notice this and turns on his side, eyeing me in a way that makes me feel incredibly vulnerable. "Unless you need to go to the hospital."

"No!" I say quickly. I wince at how panicked my voice sounds before |I turn on my side to face him too. "No." I say steadier. "I'm okay." He doesn't seem to believe be so I snuggle up to him and hug his waist. "I promise."

He sighs and wraps his arms around me and I shiver, hoping he doesn't notice. "You promised you'd be fine walking home alone and here we are, Tris. You say you don't want people to know what happened, but people are going to notice that _something _is up."

I sigh and bury my head in his chest. "I know. But I... is what I'm doing wrong?" I ask, tears starting to prick at my eyes.

He squeezes me lightly and soothes y hair down. "No-Tris, of course not. I'm just worried. And I don't want to be the one your brother runs to, swinging his textbooks around."

I can't help it; I giggle. That's the thing with Tobias, no matter what happens, he's always been able to make me smile.

Then all of a sudden, the door is slammed open and Tobias and I spring apart. I roll away from him so quickly, I would've face planted the ground if it weren't for his arm coming around y waist.

"TOBIAS EATON!" A shrill voice screams from the doorway. I wince and sit up to see Evelyn standing in the doorway, red faced and pissed. She turns to me, breathing heavily. "Out! Get out now! And don't you _dare _step foot in this house again."

"Mother!" Tobias yells back. She turns to him, nostrils flaring. They stare each other down for what seems like forever and I shrink back. "Tris hasn't done anything to warrant such a reaction." Tobias says, his instructor voice falling into place.

"Oh? So I walk into your room-" She begins.

"You barged in here!" Tobias yells appalled.

She continues as if he said nothing though. "To see you two lying on your bed doing only God knows what, with us _in the house_!"

"We didn't do anything!" I blurt out, but now it's too late to take it back. "Tobias was just comforting me, that's all!"

She snorts and looks down her nose at me. "Of course that was all. Now out!"

I stare at her, mouth gaping and I feel Tobias tense beside me and begin to shake in silent anger. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. "Fine. I'm going." I tell her spinning around and gently standing up. I feel like I' about to fall over when all of a sudden Tobias is there, holding me up without Evelyn being able to see.

"And where do you think _you're _going?" She asks him. He helps me over to the door, turning his head to look her in the eye.

"I'm going with Tris." He says simply, before turning and walking out.

"_Excuse me!?"_ She shrieks, but he keeps walking. She grabs my arm and yanks me back, putting her lips right beside my ear. "Stay away from y son you worthless bitch. If not, you will regret it." She hisses.

Tobias yanks her arm off me and sends her a glare before wrapping his arm back around me and walking away.

"What is all the screaming about?" I hear Marcus ask as we turn the corner.

He sees us and he raises an eyebrow. I immediately realize how this must look, and why Evelyn was so mad. Here I am with my ultra-messy hair, in Tobias' clothes and needing him to help me walk around. Well, I could probably manage on my own, but Tobias refuses to let me go.

Which when Marcus' gaze drops to where his arm is wrapped around my waist, I understand. I' not the one he thinks needs help, it's him.

"And what _exactly_ is going on here?" He asks quietly.

"Nothing that matters." Tobias answers crisply. "I'm taking Tris home now."

"Dressed like that?" He asks, his hands clasping behind his back.

Tobias looks down at me, only now seeming to realize that I'm still wearing his clothes, and swears quietly. "Your clothes should be done now; I'll go get them so you can change." He says, rushing over to the washing machine and dryer.

"And why, pray tell, are her clothes in the wash?" Marcus asks. His demeanor screams calmness, but his eyes, which are the same shade as my beautiful Tobias', tell a whole different story. He's pissed.

"They got dirty." Tobias says simply, crossing back over to me, clothes in hand. He gives them to me and I quickly glance at Marcus before hurrying, as much as my bruised ribs will allow, to the nearest bathroom.

I change quickly, not caring that my ribs groan in protest, and continuing on when I crack my elbow against the counter. I don't want to leave Tobias out there with him longer than I have to.

I exit the bathroom quietly and hurry into the living room where I left Tobias and Marcus, just in time to see Marcus whip his arm back, holding his belt.

Time seems to slow down as I watch in horror as Marcus whips the belt forward and it wraps around Tobias wrist. The sound he makes is the worst though; a cry of pain muffled by his mouth that sees to break something deep inside me. And so when Marcus' arm flies back to go again, I don't even think before I sprint forward, all pain forgotten as adrenaline courses through my veins like lighting. I push myself in front of Tobias and put my arm in front of me and hiss as the belt wraps itself around my arm.

I don't let the pain register before I wench my arm back, surprising him and pulling the belt out of his hand. I let it drop to the ground as the three of us stand there, Marcus standing there all too calmly, me breathing heavily and Tobias... I can't see him and I refuse to take my eyes off Marcus.

"You... should really learn not to interfere with other people's business." He says, his breaths shaking just a bit. But it's enough. I'm in trouble.

Marcus steps forward and raises his arm as if he might hit me, but then all of a sudden, Tobias is there, grabbing his arm and pushing him back. "Don't you _dare_ lay a hand on her." He growls, his body shaking in anger. "_Never_, touch her again or I _will _make you regret it you pathetic son of a bitch. And you know what? Don't touch me again either. You may be the mayor, but if I told everyone what you've been doing to me and _showed them my back_, I'm fairly certain they'll _have _to believe me."

"Tobias, you are making a _huge _mistake-"

"No." Tobias says, cutting him off. He throws Marcus' arm back at him like it disgusts him to just touch him. I don't blame him. "_You_ made the huge mistake by thinking you could get away with this." He hisses before backing away and turning to me. "Let's get out of here."

I nod and take his hand. His hand is shaking as we walk out of his house and I squeeze his hand once. He shivers and pulls me into a bear hug, still being gentle with my ribs. "Thank you." He whispers, burying his head into my hair. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

I squeeze him tightly, before he looks back at his house once. Then he turns back to his motorcycle, hands me the helmet and we speed off into town. He never once looks back, and neither do I.

**A/N- THERE WE GO! So...? Do I even have to ask? What did you think? And remember, 100 reviews 'til my next update ;) **

**P.S. If you guys actually manage to reach 350 reviews by the next update, I will add a special Four/Tris surprise ;)**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N- Holy shit... for the record, I really didn't expect you guys to reach 350, but you came so damn close... 70 reviews for one chapter... maybe I should set high standards for all my quick updates then! :D Here's your chapter! Next quick update at... 400 ;) So that means 75 reviews... That's possible with you lovely readers isn't it? I'll add the special FourTris surprise in the next one if we reach it :D**

After the confrontation with his parents, Tobias and I went to my house to find it empty. I wasn't really complaining; I still had to shuffle around instead of walking properly and I wasn't very keen on my family members on knowing what happened.

"So what are you going to do know?" I asked him, plopping down on the couch and tucking my legs under me.

He sighs and drops down, his arms along the back as he stares in front of him with an awestricken look on his face. "I don't know." He says, smiling before turning to me. "I'll figure something out. But I probably won't be going back there anytime soon."

I smile back at him. I know that this means a lot to him. "Well I'd offer to let you stay here for the time being, but I'm afraid Caleb would blow a gasket and my dad... well it just wouldn't end well."

He snorts and stretches his arms out. "That brother of yours... such an annoying child."

I laugh and stretch my small legs out to poke him in the thigh with my toe. "He _is _still my brother. No matter how annoying he can be. He's my alarm clock!"

"Yeah I know." He says rolling his eyes before pushing my legs around so they're resting on the coffee table. He spins around and rests his head on my lap. I'm surprised for a second before I just shake my head at him. "Hey." He says reaching up and tapping my cheek.

I look down to see his deep-set blue eyes that have always captivated me staring up at me. They seem larger then they usually do, all big and innocent and... happy. It's been a long time since I've seen Tobias so truly happy. "Hey." I say back, giving him a soft smile. I stare at his eyes and then my gaze drops to his lips. I really do want to kiss him again.

"I don't think you realize how much this really means." He says quietly. "And don't say you do because you know... what he did. I hate him. I always have. I hate my mother, I hate that house, I hate everything there. And I'll probably have to go back there eventually, I can't just leave and not come back. But for now..."He sighs and closes his eyes, shifting in my lap. "For now I'm good."

He seems so genuinely happy. So calm and carefree that I feel tears prick at the back of my eyes. I smile and drop my hands down to his hair and run my fingers through it. I immediately pull back, wondering why the hell I did that. It was impulsive and stupid, but when I look down and see the smile on his face, I continue just to gauge is reaction. The smile stays on his face and he doesn't question me, so I assume he's okay with it.

His hair has gotten longer than it ever has before, the ends curling around the nape of his neck. Its dark colour looking lighter than when it's short. His hair is soft and shiny, and I would rather die than let him know that I was assessing his_ hair_ like this.

We talk about everything and nothing for awhile before the conversation die down. I turn the T.V. on and flip through the channels, its constant droning keeping the room from seeming emptier. I keep running my hand through his hair, and he keeps his satisfied smile on his lips until, I feel his breathing even out and his breaths get a bit louder.

So he _does _still snore.

I chuckle softly and lean my head back and stare at the nothing on the T.V. Never once in my entire life, did I ever think I'd fall so hard for my best friend. I keep sifting my hand through his hair until I fall asleep to his light snoring.

* * *

When I wake up, I just sit there with my head lolled back and I try to think of what the wait in my lap might be and why my legs feel kinda numb. And then I remember that Tobias is sleeping. I smile sleepily and sit up straight to rub the sleep out of my eyes. When I open them, I nearly scream and jump up. Tobias groans, still half asleep, and he shifts his head around so he's facing the right wear y mother is sitting across from us.

She smiles at me and raises her delicate hand to her lips and presses a finger to them. I nod and try to get my breathing back to normal. I gently try to lift Tobias' head so that I can slip off the couch, but he mumbles something before wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his face into my stomach.

I suck in a small breath, not really registering anything other than his arms around my waist and his face pressed just under my ribs. I don't even feel the pain it should've caused. I look up at my mom and I see her eyes are shining with silent laughter.

I look down at Tobias hugging me. He looks so innocent and childlike this way. Although he certainly doesn't _feel _childlike. I sigh and give my mother a 'help me' look. She smiles and shakes her head at me and my attempts to get Tobias off me.

"Tobias." I whisper in his ear. "Tobias, I need you to let go."

He 'hmphs' and squeezes me tighter before loosening his grip and I ease his head off me. I walk over to my mom and she stands up, walking towards the kitchen. I follow her in and sit at the table when she does.

"So what exactly was Tobias doing sleeping on your lap?" She asks. She doesn't sound accusatory, just curious, but I still blush.

"We came here and we talked for a bit and then he fell asleep." I say simply.

She nods, before looking down and taking a breath. "Beatrice," She starts. "Marcus called a little while ago and said he found you and Tobias sneaking downstairs with you in his clothes after a fight with Evelyn. Care to tell me what that was about?"

I suck in a breath and look away, pursing my lips. "My clothes got dirty so Tobias said he'd let me borrow his clothes while mine were in the wash." I tell her truthfully. Well, mostly. She doesn't need to know the whole story yet. "And we weren't sneaking out, we were heading downstairs." This is almost a lie, but not quite so I don't feel as bad telling my mother this. But it still hurts to lie to her.

She nods, seeming to understand that this is not the whole story, but she understands why I haven't said anything. "I know you don't like being bombarded by questions sweetie, but I'm your mother so please understand why I'm doing this." She says and I blink once, then twice before nodding. She gives me a sad smile, but it quickly falls. "You were walking kind of funny, Beatrice. Is everything okay? And please, if you and Tobias are already doing _that_-"

"No!" I say quickly before lowering my voice a little. "Sorry, but no, we haven't done... no." I say shaking my head.

She nods but still looks worried. "Then what's wrong?" She asks softly.

I open my mouth to tell her I'm just sore, but all of a sudden, the back of my throat feels sore and hoarse and tears start spilling over. My mother is quickly up and by my side, holding me tightly against her as I sob into her shoulder. Somehow, I find myself telling her about everything that happened, just barely skipping the part about Marcus and his belt. I glance at my wrist that's hooked around my mother's neck to see it a dark reddish-purple that I cover with my shirt.

When I'm done, my mother runs her hand up and down my back whispering soothing words in my ear. "Its okay sweetie, it's going to be okay."

I sniffle and nod, pulling back. She keeps her hands on my shoulders before gently wiping my tears away and kissing me on the cheek. I hear a door close and my mother quietly says, "That should be your dad, I'm assuming you'd like to keep this between us?"

I blink and nod at her, and she smiles softly, understanding my want to not tell dad.

Together we walk into the living room to see my dad shaking Tobias awake and Tobias springing up. "Tobias, what are you doing here? Your parents have been worried." He says not unkindly.

"Oh?" He says and I _just_ catch the sarcastic tone in his voice. "Well, tell them I'm sorry then. Tris and I were talking and I guess I fell asleep."

"Yeah, sorry dad." I say shyly. "I guess I bored him to sleep."

Tobias rolls his eyes and stretches and yawns. "Sorry, I'll leave you guys now."

My dad nods, watching Tobias as he walks over to me and gives me a hug and kiss on the cheek along with a quiet 'thank you' before nodding to my mom and leaving.

"Beatrice, Marcus told me something very interesting he found this morning." My dad says turning to me once we hear the door close.

I open my mouth to try to think of something to say to him, but my mother does before I can. "Andrew, let's talk about this privately please." He nods and together they walk towards their room and I make my way to my own.

I sit in my room for awhile before my thoughts drift back to a certain blue-eyed boy. And just as quickly as my thoughts turn to hi does my phone ring.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Hey." _Speak of the devil and he shall appear _I think to myself wryly. "I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble."

"No, my mom is talking to my dad so I should be fine." I tell him smiling. "What about you? Where are you?"

"I'm crashing at Zeke and Uriah's for the time being." He says and I can hear the grin in his voice.

"What did you have to do to get them to let you stay there?" I ask.

"Well their mother already likes me, so I just had to promise them that they could ride my motorcycle." He sighs. "It was a tough decision, but I figured that letting the ride it once if they didn't destroy it would be a fair price for staying with them for a while."

I laugh before the end of his sentence catches me and I frown. "For a while? What's your long-term plan then?"

"Well Ms. Prior, as you know, my father is the mayor, so I have money. So my plan would be to buy an apartment and get a job."

"A job?" I ask half-joking. "Tobias Eaton with a _job_? You haven't worked a day in your life."

He chuckles. "Your right, I haven't. I should probably try it out though."

I laugh. "Well-"

"Yo! Toby! Give me the phone!" I hear in the background before someone else's voice greets me on the phone. "Who dis be?"

"This be Tris." I answer laughing. "Hey Uriah."

"Ahh, Trisy! Am I interrupting your phone call with your lovey-dovey Toby?" Uriah says laughing.

"Yes, actually. You are." I answer, even though I'm smiling. "Can I go back to talking to him now?"

"Hmm... No." I roll my eyes. "Hey, so about your guys' kiss..."

"Goodbye Uriah!" I say getting ready to hang up.

"Wait! Just give me a sec!" He says loudly.

"Okay, go."

"So with you kiss, it really didn't seem like your guys' first so have you been holding out on us or-"

"Goodbye!" I say hanging up. I stare at my phone for a bit then grin. I have the strangest friends.

But now thanks to Uriah, I can't help but think about that damned kiss and how I had wanted to kiss him again earlier. Too bad we're just friends. And that.

Is.

All.

**A/N- Fluffy enough for you? ;) Next week will be my normal update, but if I get 400 reviews before then, early update for you :3 LOVE YOU GUYS! BYE-BYE!**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I don 't think you guys realize how freaking happy I am! Over 400 reviews... YAAAAAAAY ! So as promised, there will be a little Four/Tris surprise ;) Well I was planning on using it sometime later but now is good too!**

**P.S. Sorry for all my horrible spelling and grammatical error form last chapter, I stayed up writing it and posted at li ke 1 in the morning when, obviously, my editing skills suck.**

I dread going to school on Monday, so much so that I barely get any sleep and I'm awake before Caleb's knock on my door. I don't even realize what time it is, so I go answer the door. He looks surprised and looks me up and down. "No offence Tris, but you look like crap."

I narrow my eyes at him and close the door. I sigh and sit on my bed, having already showered and changed long before anyone else woke up. I grab my phone to see if Christina texted me back after I asked her to pick me up. She replied with sure, as long as I'm okay with having Will in the car, to which I answer is great. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding before sending a quick text to Tobias, saying Christina's picking me up.

My phone vibrates a second later. _Great. Uri stole my keys anyway, says he's gonna drive to school on my baby :(_

I laugh. That's something he would do. I head downstairs to get some toast before I have to head out.

"Good morning Beatrice." My dad says looking up from his newspaper.

"Good morning." I say with fake cheer, bending down and kissing him on the cheek. I grab my toast and head into the living room to see my mom knitting.

"Beatrice," She says softly. I look up at her and sit on the couch across from her. "How are you feeling sweetie?"

I take a deep breath and am about to tell her I'm doing fine but think better of it. "My ribs feel better, but I don't want to go to school and face Al."

She gives me a sympathetic looks and puts her hand on my knee and squeezes gently. "Honey, if you don't feel up to it, you can stay home if you'd like."

I smile softly and shake my head. I love how understanding my mom can be. "No, I have to do this. Thank you though."

She smiles back. "Of course. If you change your mind, you can call me anytime and I'll pull you out of school."

"Thanks mom." I say just as there's a kock on the door. I swoop down and kiss her cheek. "Love you!"

"Love you too!" She calls back to me as I grab my bag and open the door.

"You ready to face yet another _exciting _day in the life of us?" Christina says as we walk to the car. Will waves at me from the passenger's seat and I wave back. I say nothing but get into the back.

Christina drives for a good five minutes with the radio quietly playing in the background when I finally work up the courage to say something. "Okay guys, I need to tell you something ."

"Sure. What's up, Tris?" Will asks turning around in his seat.

"You can tell us anything." Christina adds, luckily keeping her eyes on the road .

I hesitate now. Will they think I'm a coward? That I'm weak? Or will they think I'm lying? Will seems to notice my hesitation and smiles at me. "You can trust us Tris. What's going on?"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, replaying the events of Friday night. The whole time, I keep my eyes closed, but once I mention Al, Christina slams down on the breaks and screeches, "He did_ WHAT_?"

Someone honks behind us. I wince and open my eyes to see her staring at me wide-eyed as is Will. I purse my lips and look out the window just in time to see the guy behind us speed around and finger Christina. "Tris?" Will says softly. I swallow; my mouth suddenly extremely dry. "What happened next?"

I turn to look at them and see genuine concern in their eyes, as well as Christina's shining with tears and promises of revenge. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out; continuing on with the story up until Tobias took me to his house.

Somewhere in the middle of my explaining , Christina started driving again. By the time we make it to the school, I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and I feel... safer. Like I can walk around and not have to look over my shoulder all the time. Because my friends have my back.

When I get out of the car, Christina nearly tackles me, but must think better of it before hugging me tightly, but careful of my ribs. "Ohmygod Tris, you should've told me right away!" She says into my shoulder. I hug her back before she pulls away and wipes her eyes. "Tobias put Peter in the hospital right?"

"I think so..." I say smiling at my friends.

"Hey, you." I turn to look at Will before he gives me a hug too. I'm surprised for a moment before hugging him back. Will has never been very huggy, but it's nice. I look over his shoulder and see Uriah, Zeke and Tobias coming over here. I see something cross over Tobias's features and it looks like... jealousy? Why would he be jealous? As quickly as it came, it disappears.

"Hey Toby, I think Will's trying to steal your girl!" I hear Uriah say all the way over here. I laugh and Will pulls back, and looks over at the guys coming over. The three of us head over to them and they turn around to walk back towards the school, Tobias slipping in beside me.

"Hey Tobias," Christina says turning to him. "Is Peter in the hospital?"

"Why would Peter be in the hospital?" Uriah asks, looking from Christina to Tobias and back.

"Whatever the reason, I like it already. " Zeke adds.

Tobias looks down at me. "He was. He checked out yesterday."

"Why was he in the hospital?" Uriah asks going in front of us and stopping us.

Tobias stays silent and watching me, Will is examining the walls, and Christina looks at me with a silent question in her eyes.

"Christina?" I ask looking over at her. She nods and drags Will, Uriah and Zeke away to go somewhere more private. I clear my throat that suddenly feels all too thick. "So, did Uri crash you motorcycle?" I ask without looking at him.

"No, but there's still the ride home." He says absently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just not looking forward to talking to Al or seeing Peter walking the halls." I answer truthfully.

"That's understandable." He says before tugging on my waist. "Hey."

I finally look at him, avoiding his eyes because I know if I look into them I'll get sucked in and won't be able to get out. "Hey."

"You sure you're okay?" He asks, his eye brows furrowing in concern.

"I'm fine Four." I answer smiling at him . He keeps the same expression on his f a ce when I look away.

I turn to see the Blonde Squad walking around. They hadn't said anything to me s ince the last time, and I had nearly forgotten about them. But watching them gives me a sick feeling in my stomach, like I should've remembered them because something is going to happen.

And then I realize that they're walking over here. Towards me and Tobias. And I want them to go the hell away. "Hey Tobias?"

"Yeah?" He says facing me again. I lean up quickly and kiss him. It was all impulse but I see out of the corner of my eye that they turn and walk away. Tobias's hands fly down to my waist, keeping me steady.

This time, I'm the one who kisses him. Our first kiss was confusing and I had no idea what was happening. But this kiss is sweet and I _want_ this. I feel my heartbeat pick up and my pulse thumps through my veins. I feel butterflies in my stomach and it feels so... right.

"Whoa!" Uriah's voice hits me and I pull away from Tobias breathless and blushing. "We were gone, what? Five minutes?" I laugh a little and his face softens before he hugs me. Is today hug-a-Tris day or something? I say nothing but hug him back tightly. "They're gonna pay for this. " He whispers in my ear. "Toby may have put Peter in the hospital, but neither of them have dealt with me yet."

"Thank you." I whisper back and he pulls away, squeezes my shoulder.

The bell rings and we split up going to our lockers. Zeke gives me a small smile and nods at me before Christina whisks me off to our lockers. I shove everything in there and grab my textbooks before heading into class.

"What was that about?"

I turn to see Tobias sitting down next t o me and I blush. "What?"

He raises an eyebrow at me. "That kiss?"

I purse my lips and blush harder. "People I didn't want to talk to were walking towards us."

He furrows his brow and he opens his mou th to say something but soon the bell r i ngs and Ms. Jeanine walks in and he ha s to turn to the front. For the rest of cl ass though, I feel his eyes burning holes in the side of my head.

**A/N- So they kissed :3 Wasn't gonna do it but there ya go! Now I will have to deal with the aftermath, but oh well! How about for the next quick update... 500 ? Idk if we'll manage it but... ANYWAY LOVE YA BYE-BYE!**

**P.S. Thanks to all of you who wished me a happy Easter, I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD ONE TOO!**


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N- I think you guys may have cheated... going back and reviewing previous chapters... but OH WELL! 500 REVIEWS! The most I've ever gotten before was on my original Truth or Dare story with 478! :D Next early chapter at... 600? Maybe we'll make it ;)**

I groan and slam my head against my locker, shutting it closed. I've been avoiding Tobias since history and it has not been easy.

Once the bell rang I had rushed out of history before Tobias could stop me. I heard him call after me, but I just speed walked away to my next class.

At every bell I had to run to get to my locker before him, and I failed twice. I had to wait for the bell to grab my stuff and charge to the classroom. Mr. Max threatened to give me detention for running in the halls and being late for math. It was so unfair though; Eric walked in a good five minutes after I did and Mr. Max didn't even blink an eye.

And now here I am dreading going into the cafeteria for yet _another _reason. But I'd rather tell Tobias how I feel about him then face Al right now. I shake my head and start to head over when I'm pushed against a locker.

For a moment I panic thinking its Peter getting his revenge for Friday night. But I calm down a bit when I see it's just the Blonde Squad.

Alison sneers at me. "What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" I ask suddenly very tired.

"You and Tobias kissing." Caitlyn says taking a step forward to which Alison pushes her back.

I roll my eyes. "We're dating, that's what couples do." I tell her just wanting to leave.

Alison steps forward so close that I can feel her war breath on my cheeks. "Look. I was being nice before. Stay away from Tobias. Or things will get ugly."

We have a staring contest for what seems like forever when a familiar voice booms out. "Step aside bimbos! This girl has lunch to get to!"

Alison seems shocked and spins around to face Uriah, my saviour. "Excuse me?"

He says nothing but grins and throws his arm around me and directing me away. He sighs once we're out of their range. "What is with people bugging you? Seriously, a bitch is gonna die soon." I giggle despite my mood and he grins and kisses the top of my head and I blush a little. "Seriously, Zeke, Will, Toby and I are gonna go kick some ass soon if people don't back off."

I roll my eyes and sigh, leaning against him. "You know I love you right? Sometimes you're a better brother than Caleb." I say.

He smiles. "And you're the sister I always wanted instead of Zeke." I smile back. "And please. I _am _a better brother than Caleb. All he does is be your alarm!"

I laugh and elbow him in the ribs. "He's still my brother."

"Fine." He says sticking his tongue out at me. "Just go and crush my brotherly dreams!"

As we walk into the cafeteria, I feel like I was punched in the gut. No one but Uriah seems to notice though. Everyone is acting as if nothing has changed and for them I guess everything is. Everyone is still buzzing about the dance coming up in a few weeks, who's going with who and so on while I stand here panicking.

"C'mon." Uriah whispers, walking us over to our usual table. I walk along with him taking deep breaths and looking around for either Al or Peter.

I don't see them.

And I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

"Look who I found!" Uriah says with cheer that seems just a bit too forced.

Everyone looks up as I go to sit down, but am immediately tackled by Marlene. I wince lightly as she hit my ribs a bit uncomfortably and she pulls back enough for me to see her eyes, not shining with tears, but blazing with fire.

She pulls me to sit down next to her and Uriah takes the other seat beside me. "Sorry Tobias, but I'm stealing your girlfriend." Marlene says wrapping her arms around my skinnier one.

I look over at him just as he manages to tear his eyes off me. "Fine, but I'll want her back later." He says, the ghost of a smile pulling at his lips. _Lips I kissed. Again..._

I shake my head and look around our table. Everyone is watching me, almost like they expect me to break. But the looks they're giving me, even Lynn, say that even if I were to break, they wouldn't care. They wouldn't judge me over it.

Everyone is silent for a minute, everyone but me eating. My appetite completely gone. And then Lynn breaks the silence. "Holy shit..."

We all look over at her and see her eyes wide and her hand still up as if her fork fell out of her hand. I turn to see what she's looking at and when I do, I suck in a breath so quickly it sets off a coughing fit.

Marlene absently pats my back as we watch Peter shuffle across the room to his table. He obviously _has _to shuffle to subdue the pain. Both eyes are black and his nose looks lumpy, as if it were broken more than once. His lips are puffy and busted his arm in a sling and the other wrapped around his stomach. He looks over at us and our eyes meet for an instant before he quickly looks away and shuffles away faster.

I whip my head over to stare at Tobias shocked. He sits there, his eyes hard, following Peter across the room. His face is contorted in cold contempt and it scares me.

"You did that?" I ask, voice hoarse.

He watches a moment longer before turning to me. "I told you; I don't like the idea of anyone hurting you."

We all stare at him a moment longer before Zeke whistles. "Alright. I no longer want to ride your motorcycle because God forbid I crash it and end up like Peter. Uriah though. You can do whatever to him."

"Hey!" Uriah says turning to his brother.

Tobias smirks. "Well if you crash my baby, you'll end up _way _worse than Peter."

We all laugh, albeit some of us nervously, and the tension kind of just dissipates and I start eating. Conversation starts up again until I see Tobias tense and his knuckles whiten around his fork.

"Tris..."

I take a deep breath and slowly turn around. Al stands in front of me, his eyes red and puffy like he'd been crying recently. They look sad.

Like they did in the alley.

I swallow hard and stare at him. Everyone I silent. Even Lynn.

"Tris..." He shakes his head quickly, his dark hair whipping around so quickly that in the silence of the table, I can hear it. "I..." His voice cracks and fat tear slip from his eyes and down his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

I say nothing but stare blankly at him. He steps forward like he's going to touch me and a number of things happen all at once. I cringe and Marlene grabs my hand as I hear Tobias stand, but he doesn't get to him before Uriah is jumping up and shoving him back.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her you pathetic son of a bitch." He snarls. I think the only time I have very heard Uri talk like this was when Eric was trying to get Marlene to go out with him before they started dating. It scares me.

"I... Can I please, _please_ just talk to you, Tris?" He says standing upright again.

"Are you kidding?" Will is suddenly beside me, taking Uriah's spot. "You don't get to come near her ever again."

Al looks crestfallen. He and Will were childhood friends; therefore Will was always the closest to Al. This must devastate him. "Please, Tris." He looks over at me pleadingly, and then Tobias is there beside Uriah, partially obscuring my view of him. "I-I'm not going to hurt you." He says pathetically. "I never wanted to hurt you-"

Lynn snorts. "Well you sure did. I mean, c'mon. Even _I'm _admitting that was pathetic and cruel." I glance over at Lynn. Her usual smug smile is gone and in its place is a cold, hard sneer. I've never thought of Lynn as my friend really, but maybe she's more of one than I thought.

Al winces and closes his eyes, squeezing them tight. When they reopen they search mine, his wet and shining and mine cold and unforgiving. "I-I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I don't... I don't know what's wrong with me; I just... please forgive me."

My mother has always told me that I am one of the most selfless, forgiving people she knows. She always says that I know right from wrong and that I am compassionate and understand that sometimes people fall over the edge of desperation and that can lead them to do things they never would've thought of doing. And I've always thought she was overreacting since I _can _be all those thing, but I'm not usually. And this girl my mother thinks I am would understand that this boy, this _crying boy,_ in front of me, really does mean what he's saying.

But today must be one of those days where he just doesn't feel like coming out.

I stand up and I can see those pleading eyes staring back at me between these two boys' heads. And I stare directly into them when I say, "Stay away from me. Never come near me again."

His face breaks into the picture of despair and more tears roll down his face.

"If you do, I swear to God I will kill you, you coward." I practically spit my last two words out.

Al stares at me, shaking his head slowly with his mouth hanging open. He starts to back away slowly before turning on his heel and rushing out of the cafeteria.

No one notices anything.

I take a deep breath and sit back down. Tobias and Uriah doing the same. We all sit in tense silence. Marlene gently squeezes my hand and Uriah bumps his shoulder into mine. I take a bite of my food, but it tastes bland, like nothing. And then suddenly a metallic taste fills my mouth and I let go of Marlene's hand and am racing for the girl's bathroom, Christina hot on my heels.

I make it there just before I unload the meager lunch I ate. Christina holds my hair up and rubs my back, saying soothing words in my ear.

When I'm finally done, I thought I would cry, but I feel... nothing. I am nothing.

"Wanna go back in there?" Christina asks softly. I shake my head and she digs through her bag and passes me a water bottle. I take it gratefully and raise an eyebrow at her as I take a swig. She shrugs and says, "Since I have gym today I figured I'd bring it. Mr. Amar has been making us do a lot of running."

I nod and take another drink, ridding my mouth of the taste of my lunch coming back up.

"Al... I think he was really sorry." She says quietly. I look at her as I hand her bottle back and she shakes her head. "I think... I think he meant what he said, but I don't think you were wrong for what you said either. If I were in your situation..." She trails off and gives a humourless laugh. "Hell, if I were in your situation I'd probably be sobbing my eyes out by now. My point is that no one blames you for what you did."

I stare at Christina, my eyes pricking with tears. I hug her tightly and she hugs me back, smoothing my hair back. "We're going to get through this, don't worry about that."

I nod against her shoulder. We sit hugging each other on the bathroom floor until the bell rings and we have to head to class.

I don't see Al for the rest of the day, and that is by no means a bad thing to me.

**A/N- THERE YA GO! What'd you think? REVIEWS ARE QUITE LOVELY YOU KNOW! Do you guys know what tomorrow is though? ITS 4/6 FOURTRIS DAY! :D I don't think I'll update this because next chapter won't be very fluffy, but if you give me an idea I can write a fluffy one-shot hopefully! UNTIL NEXT TIME MY SWEETS! LOVE YA, BYE-BYE! **


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N- Sorry I haven't updated in forever, my laptop hates me and cut out on me, deleting all my work FIVE FREAKING TIMES. Ahem. Anna, yes, I do read my reviews :3 And Guest, I try to update once a week or if we hit my special markers. So... AHHHHHHHHHHH 600 REVIEWS!**

I'm awoken by an insistent chiming the next morning, and at first I think my alarm clock must be broken as it reads only _3:26 am_. And then I think that maybe it's the fire alarm and I jump out of bed toppling onto the floor. I scramble up to the door and only when I fling it open do I realize that it's the doorbell.

I run down the stairs, wondering how I'm the only person woken up by. "Who the hell is at the door!?" I hear Caleb yell as I run to the door. I smirk, thinking that at least I'm not the only one woken up.

"It's 3:30 in the morning," I yell as I fling the door open, hoping to cease the obnoxious doorbell. "What could you possibly wan-"

I'm cut off by Christina flinging herself at me, tears streaming down her face and still in her pajamas. "Christina?" I hear Caleb ask, incredulous from behind me. I barely register it though, because something terrible must have happened.

"Chris? What happened?" I ask her, not caring at how panicked my voice sounds. I pull her off me as much as I can and look her in the eye.

"Tris... Tris its Al." She chokes out. I feel my eyes go wide and then we're sprinting to her car and I don't care that I'm barefoot and in my pajamas, it doesn't really matter.

I fling myself into the passenger's seat and the door isn't even closed when she shoves her foot onto the pedal, speeding out onto the road.

"Chris, what do you mean, 'its Al'?" I ask her as we speed down the road, narrowly missing some poor driver.

"It's... he..." She tries to speak around the thick tears and sobs that are starting to come out as hiccups. She doesn't end up answering me.

We drive in silence, the only noise being Christina's pitiful attempt at calming down. We finally reach our destination in what seems like ages but in reality was probably only ten minutes. I see the bridge and crowd of people which is quite large, especially for this time of the day and my stomach sinks. I see Will standing to the side and his eyes lock on the car as we skid to a stop, not even bothering to put the car in park before we're bolting out of the car.

As we reach him, Will only shakes his head. I push my way through the crowd, Christina's iron grip on my arm following me though. We reach the front to see two men pulling something up from the river, something obviously heavy from their grunts and the strain they're putting on the ropes. I watch them, mesmerized for a moment before they heave him over the railing.

Al's hair is plastered to his forehead and his big brown eyes are open and unseeing. His lips have a blue-ish tint as does his skin. His whole body is swollen with water and the only coherent thought that crosses my muddled mind is he killed himself. Because of me.

I vaguely hear Christina sobbing against my shoulder and the people around us muttering to themselves and each other but it all sounds so far away. I feel the tears start to drip from my eyes, obscuring my vision. My knees feel weak and I fall to the ground, Christina following me down.

I feel Will come up behind us, hugging the two of us together but I barely feel it. I stare down at my hands hanging limply at my sides. These are the hands of a killer. I may not have been the one to throw him over the bridge, but it was my actions that lead him to this. If I had forgiven him, this may not have happened. I was just afraid. I was acting like a stupid, scared little girl. He tried to stop Peter, he did. But I was too focused on the fact that he was there to think properly. The tears come quicker and quicker and through my watery vision it seems as if everyone and everything is mocking me.

The people behind us, whispering about the fact that he died, I wonder how many know I'm the reason? I feel as if 'Murderer' has been branded across my forehead. The steady running of the water in the river, acting as if it didn't just take an innocent life. Al's bloated body just laying there, his blank eyes staring at nothing. I wonder if he's in a better place now. He's probably laughing at my tears now, wondering how someone like me could even be bothered to shed tears for someone she killed.

I try to breath around the thickness in my throat, but I feel as if some force is choking me, trying to make me feel like Al did before he jumped. I try to look at his body, but I can't force my eyes to so I end up looking just above him. To where, on the edge of the bridge, there are three words carved. _I am sorry_.

I start shaking, only then remembering that I'm only in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top and barefoot. I feel the cold wind biting at my bare arms, and my feet feel numb. I wrap my arms around myself and start walking back and forth. I deserve this. I deserve this for what I did to him. Al went through so much worse. I can handle a little cold.

"Albert!" I hear someone shriek and I feel as if the world holds its breath. She shoves her way through the crowd to face Al's lifeless body and she screams. I'm not sure who told Al's parents, but I'm not sure whether they did the right thing or not. Al's mother's scream is filled with anger and sorrow and the sound of someone's heart and soul shattering into a million and one tiny pieces that will never be put back together.

And I can't take it.

I untangle myself from Christina's iron grip and Will's firm hold and I run. I push through the crowd but the sound of Al's mother sobbing follows me as I run. I keep running, trying to escape the terrible animalistic cries of a mother losing her only son. So I keep running and I don't know where to.

And then I hear footsteps behind me. Chasing after me. And all I can think is that it's Al's parents coming to kill me, to make me suffer for killing their son. So I run harder. I keep running but they're always right behind me before arms wrap around my waist and lift me off the ground.

I try to scream for help, but I know I don't deserve it. That doesn't stop me from thrashing in my captors arms.

"Calm down, Tris. Please, stop fighting." The rough and breathless whisper in my ear comes a moment too late as I strike my captor in the cheek with my flailing arm.

He just grunts but does nothing to loosen his grip or make a move to put me down. He just keeps whispering for me to stop and after a while I recognize his voice and stop fighting. He places me back down on my feet and I turn around to stare up at Tobias and the first thing I see is the bright red mark on his cheek. I reach up to touch it, but he catches my wrist lightly and pulls me into an embrace.

"It's my fault." I whisper, voice hoarse. "It's my fault he's dead."

"No, it isn't." He says forcefully into my hair. I say nothing and clamp my lips closed because he's wrong; this is my fault. I'm the one who drove Al to suicide by not forgiving him and for not noticing how he was always so quiet and so sad all the time. I should've noticed. I should've done something. But now it's too late. So I stay quiet and take comfort in Tobias' arms around me and I wrap y small arms around his waist, pressing myself as close to him as I can. He presses his lips to my forehead and I close my arm, relishing in warmth it brings me.

We stay this way for what seems like forever and yet not long enough before we break apart and Tobias drives me home saying that we still have school and he wouldn't want me to get hypothermia. I just numbly follow along, hugging him as tightly as I can on his motorcycle, leaning my head against the muscles in his back and letting silent tears fall as I remember Al, my friend.

**A/N- There we go. So, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again as FanFiction isn't working on my laptop so that means I had to use my mom's computer to upload this. Once it's fixed, things will be better but until then, LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N- Sorry guys, but I think I'm going to have to take a break from this story for a while. It's nothing bad, I just have a bunch of one-shots and such I really need to do and I can't while I'm trying to write this story. I'm not sure how long this Hiatus will be, but I will update once it's over (obviously) But hey, if we can reach say... 800 reviews, since I KNOW it's a large number and it should take you guys a while to hit it, I'll try to work some timing in to update this too, ok? I really am sorry! **

For the next few days everyone at school is subdued, even Ms. Jeanine and Mr. Max who are usually incredibly tough. Even the usual happy Amity were much quieter, giving sober nods to any and all. I've since gotten over my whole blaming myself bit, but I know that Al's death was from my actions, even if they weren't the only reason for it.

The day he died, the school was incredibly quiet. They made an announcement and every so often at lunch someone would come to our table and give us their condolences on losing a friend.

After school, we all got together and went to the bridge where he jumped. It wasn't any one person's idea, we just all seemed to know that we couldn't be alone. Even Zeke, Lauren and Shauna, who weren't by any means friends with Al, but they and even _Lynn_ all seemed to realize that we needed each other.

So we ended up at the bridge, and for the first few hours we did nothing but talk amongst ourselves, often getting strange looks by those who didn't know what had happened on the bridge that day, and sad one from those who _did _and carefully moved around us.

As it got darker, we moved closer to the edge. Christina cried quietly into Will's shoulder, Uri hugged Marlene and Tobias hugged me to his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head. The moonlight shining off the river below made everything look so peaceful and serene. The wildlife kept living their lives, like nothing bad could have ever happened here.

"It wasn't your fault ya know."

Thinking back, I was more startled by the fact that it was _Lynn_ saying this to me more than anything else. In the quiet of the night, it had seemed almost like no one could talk, like everyone was too afraid to break the serene silence and interrupt each other's thoughts.

"What?" I had asked her, voice hoarse from not speaking much all day.

She had nodded toward the water down bellow. "His jump. It wasn't your fault. I'm pretty good at reading people and it seemed that he was stressed out even _before _he went and pulled the douche move."

I had kind of just stood there speechless, staring at her until Will had piped up. "No. No! No of course it wasn't your fault Tris. I think..." Will had shaken his head looking out over the water with pursed lips. Out of all of us, he and Al had been the closest, growing up with each other and talking more than _I_ had at least. "I think he was getting tired of the pressure. Everyone seemed to expect so much out of him. His parents were practically forcing him onto the football team and still expected perfect grades and were so disappointed when they dropped. And... I think it's my fault too. I wasn't there for him when he obviously needed it. Maybe if I was things would be different."

Everyone seemed to absorb this piece of information before Uriah spoke up. "Maybe there's something we all could've done differently. But now we just have to learn from our mistakes."

I think that was the night I realized how deep Uri really is.

And now, a week later, things have gone back to mostly normal. Both Ms. Jeanine and Mr. Max are issuing tests and projects like there's no tomorrow, the students are back to their normal selves and it seems that our table is the only one still recovering.

But we are much better. No one is crying anymore, none of us truly blame ourselves anymore and we're all coping.

"Hey, the dance is coming up in like 2 weeks now, isn't it?" Christina says all of a sudden, sitting up perfectly straight with wide eyes.

"Yeah, it is." Lauren says raising an eyebrow at her.

"What... but... HOW COULD I FORGET SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?" She yells causing several people to look over, see who we are, and turn back around.

"Because it wasn't on your mind?" I supply.

She shoots me a glare before pointing at me. "I may have forgotten _when _it was, but I still remember telling you that I'm getting you ready for it."

I groan and lean my head against Tobias' shoulder. He chuckles and wraps his arm around my waist pulling me closer to him. I smile to myself; doing this with Tobias feels almost like the real thing, and that's as good as anything. "Who knows, maybe she'll get you into a dress." He says jokingly.

I roll my eyes. "Nope. Not gonna happen."

"Tris, it is a _dance_. You will either wear a dress or a skirt. Either way, there is no way in hell I'm letting you go to it wearing jeans." Christina says and since I _know _her, I know that she will probably force me into the dress if she has to.

"Fine." I grumble.

"Oh, so it's that easy huh?" Tobias asks. "I couldn't even get you into a dress for my birthday!"

I roll my eyes and grin. "She'll force me into it." I tell him.

"So? All I wanted for my birthday was for you to wear a dress. But _nooo..._ Ms. Beatrice is too good for a dress."

I laugh as does everyone else but I do remember that. It was for Tobias' 12th birthday and when I asked him what he wanted he actually said, "If you wore a dress I'd be happy."

Obviously I didn't. I don't wear dresses unless it's absolutely necessary.

And anyway, the idea of dressing up for Tobias so that I look _less _like a little girl is actually kind of thrilling. I know he'll never feel the same about me, but it's still a nice thought to have.

"Tris in a dress... I would go just to see that." Uriah says thoughtfully. I glare at him and throw my plastic fork his way. He just laughs.

"Hey!" Marlene says frowning.

"What? It's not like _Tris_ is my date. That would be _you_." He says pulling her closer to him and nuzzling her neck.

I just roll my eyes and go to eat my food but belatedly realize that I now have no fork.

I lean back and watch us all. We're by no means perfect, and it's obvious in all of us that Al has not been forgotten. You can see that in Christina's eyes as she argues with Marlene about who makes a cuter couple, her and Will or Mar and Uri. You can see it in how Will sometimes zones out, the green in his eyes fading a bit. You can see it in how sometimes; Uriah will get a panicked look on his face and ask someone if they are really okay and if they need to talk.

And I know that it's obvious in even me, just how it is I'm not sure.

"So Shauna, bro, you two are going together to the dance right?" Uri asks, disrupting my observations.

"Yes Zeke, _are we_?" Shauna asks, immediately interested.

"What makes you think that?" Zeke answers easily.

The three go on about whether or not they should, Shauna getting Lauren to add in every so often.

"You guys would be so cute together!" Christina adds.

"Aren't you the one who said you'd get a girlfriend before me?" Tobias pipes, causing Zeke to send him a death glare.

We let talk of the dance and who's taking whom and whatnot until the bell rings and we all have to hurry to get to class. And after today, I know we are slowly fixing ourselves, but we can't do that alone, and it's not one of our faults. It's all for one and one for all.

**A/N- Alright! there we go! Something I want to quickly address, I know that everyone is OOC, and there are some things I may have to fix because they are a bit **_**too**_** OOC, but for now they will have to do. LOVE YA, SEEYA WHEN I COME BACK!**


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N- GUESS WHO'S OFF HIATUS? MEEEEE! Well I didn't get any one-shots done as school has been a pain in the ass but no longer! This summer I hope to write A LOT MORE, so look forward to that :D**

**Oh, and 41ToGo, yes, meaningful comments are always wonderful and yes I prefer them, but no matter what, spam will happen. And on that note, saying 'Update' no matter your intentions behind it will not make the next chapter come quicker. It'll still take me the same amount of time to write. And since I have writer's block currently, no special markers, BUT KEEP THE REVIEWS COMNG :D**

**Other than that, it's nice to be back; hopefully this chapter isn't too terrible because of my block, and a big thank you to my sweet friends Midnight-Solace and Veronica for helping me with ideas and inspiration for this chapter.**

In the morning, Christina texts me and tells me she's driving me to school today. I agree and soon enough we're heading to the school in a companionable silence.

That is until, "I don't think you and Tobias are really dating."

"What?" I ask whipping around in my seat so fast the seatbelt smacks me back.

"I mean, you guys make a fairly believable couple," She says as if I hadn't said anything. "But you wouldn't date him. Your relationship is anything _but_ romantic."

"How do you figure that?" I ask her calming down a little. I guess it's not too bad if Christina knows, she has Will after all. But the girl can barely keep her own secrets, so it seems I'll have to keep lying to her.

"Ok, well first off, how many times have you guys kissed?" I'm about to answer but she goes on. "Because really, that 'first kiss' seemed very... forced. And fake. Don't get me wrong, we all saw him _kiss _you kiss you, but it wasn't really... well real. Secondly, both of you tend to avoid the dating subject. I mean really, whenever something like the dance pops up you avoid it like the plague. Neither of you talk about your relationship with _any_ of us, or answer any of our questions/"

"That's not true..." I say but she just scoffs.

"When was the last time you two went on a date? Like, a legitimate go-out-somewhere _date_?" Christina asks raising an eyebrow but fortunately keeping her eyes on the road and the quickly approaching school.

"Umm..." I say trying to think of something. "We... We watch movies at his house sometimes-"

"Psh. You two have _always_ done that. That doesn't count as a date. Unless, of course, it consists of heavy making out... or sex." She adds with a fox grin.

"Oh God. It doesn't need _either._" I tell her, a blush creeping up my neck.

"Whatever you have to say to help you along in this fake little relationship of yours." She says pulling into the parking lot.

"It isn't fake!" I tell her as I grab my bag and jump out of her car just as she pulls into a spot.

I speed walk away from the car, hearing Christina's door slam shut as she calls from behind me "You're a terrible actress Tris!"

I walk through the halls quickly, I've grown used to the stares, but they come from less and less people each day. I guess Tobias Eaton getting a girlfriend has quickly become just what it is; old news. There are a few of the more jealous girls who continue to stare just because, but soon they'll realize how pointless and petty it is.

I shove everything in my locker and just as I'm about to head for my class Christina comes up beside me and says, "Plus, I know that at least Lauren and Shauna are also... doubtful of your relationship. Just putting that out there."

"So what next? You're going to try to prove that my relationship with Tobias is fake?" I scoff heading towards history.

"Well yes, that would be correct." She says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I nearly trip on my own feet and just stand there for a second before I take a breath and keep walking. This is Christina; I should've expected nothing less form her.

I sigh and deposit my books on my desk, saying an absent 'hi' to Tobias and just sit at in the chair.

How could Christina think our relationship is fake? I get her reasons, but still. Do we need to act better? I actually like him so it couldn't be _my_ fault right? Who am I kidding; Tobias pulls all the weight in this 'relationship' in trying to make it believable. I need to try harder. And how exactly does she plan to prove it's fake? Yell it out to the cafeteria and watch me panic? And what will Tobias say? And what about-

"Hey, you okay there?" Tobias' voice breaks me from my thoughts and I turn to look at him blinking rapidly.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Why do you ask?" I ask him distractedly.

"Well," He starts, spinning around in his chair so his body is facing me and leaning back. "You walk into class with a distracted look on your face, barely say hi to me, and then spend five minutes glaring at the board and biting your nails down so far I wonder if it hurts. However, that raises the question, what are you so nervous about? Since you really only bite your nails when you're nervous." He finishes, raising an eyebrow and nodding towards my now destroyed fingernails.

I sigh and look at the now stubs they have become. "Christina is doubtful." I mutter.

"About?" He asks, but by the sudden change in his voice, from slightly amused to dreading the worst, I can tell he already knows and is just hoping he's wrong.

"Us." I sigh putting my hands down. Christina will freak if she sees how much I've wreaked the nails.

Tobias purses his lips and scrunches his brows together, a sure sign that he's thinking and deepens his eyes in the most beautiful way.

"And what did you say?" He asks, putting his hands together as if in prayer, resting his elbows on his knees and putting his hands against his lips.

"That it isn't fake. What else was I supposed to say?" I ask, starting to panic at the intensity in his eyes.

He lets out a slow breath. "I don't know. Did she say anything else?" His eyes lightening a bit, but it's enough to calm me down.

"She said she'll try to prove she's right."

He closes his eyes for a moment, his long lashes sweeping down. It always amazes me how they never get tangled together with their length. "Well." He says, his deep blue orbs returning to sight. "This complicates things."

"It does." I agree, facing the board again as Ms. Jeanine walks in.

I go through the questions in my head over and over again until a piece of paper lands on my desk, about some war that everyone else seems to be taking notes on to notice it.

I quickly unfold the paper as quietly as possible, glancing up to make sure Ms. Jeanine wasn't looking before I hide it under the desk to read it.

_Stop stressing, we'll deal._

_-Four_

_P.S. There's gonna be a test on this crap so you better start taking notes_

I grin, and look over at him to see he's focused on what Ms. Jeanine s writing, and with his note held tightly in my hand and start writing down what Ms. Jeanine has on the board.

Once the bell rings we quickly leave the class and I walk out with Tobias. "I think I'll have to borrow your notes sometime."

He snorts. "No shit. You spent almost all the class continuing to glare at the board."

I roll my eyes but grin and head to my next class.

I speed through them, forgetting about Christina until I head over to the cafeteria at lunch and sit down next to Tobias.

Lauren is the first to bring it up. "So you and Tobias have never been on a date before?"

"Who the hell cares?" Lynn chimes in, but no one seems to pay her comment any attention. I wish they would, she has a point.

Tobias tenses up for a second beside me before forcing himself to relax. "Not really I guess..."

"Well then that needs to change!" Zeke says slamming his hand down on the table.

I look over at Christina who's smiling smugly in her seat. I narrow my eyes at her when I say, "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes!" Christina, Marlene, Uriah and Zeke say at the same time. I just sigh and rest my head against Tobias' shoulder.

"I know! We could go paintballing!" Uriah says excitedly. "We could have, like, a quadruple date plus Lynn and Lauren!"

"Um no." Lauren says, scrunching up her nose. "I refuse to go on a date by myself."

"But you'll have Lynn!" Zeke adds in grinning.

"Screw you." Lynn says around a mouthful of burger. "I'm not doing it."

"Fine." Will says. "Then I guess it'll be me and Christina, Uriah and Marlene, Zeke and Shauna and then Tris and Tobias."

"Uh, who said that _we _agreed to this?" Tobias asks, and without looking I can picture his eyebrow being raised and his lips curling up in amusement.

"We did."Our friends, aside from Lauren and Lynn, chime in unison.

Tobias sighs and looks at me, the question in his eyes.

"Well you guys will drag us along anyway so fine." I say, rolling my eyes at the excitement in Uri and Mar's eyes and feeling victorious at the doubtful look on Christina's.

"Sweet! So after school then." Christina says grinning wickedly at me. And that's all it takes for me to realize the mistake I made by agreeing, and the even bigger one at my victorious feeling.

**A/N- So this happened to be my last day of school. TWO WHOLE MONTHS OF SCHOOL FREE WRITING BY ME. EXCITING AIN'T IT? I'll write when I feel like it, is all I can really say with my block. Either way, LOVE YOU BYE-BYE!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N- Ok so I officially don't deserve you guys. This chapter took me over a month... so long story short, I wasn't sure how to go about writing it and then some personal stuff came up and this story got pushed back farther and farther back and I can't say I forgot about it, the fact that I needed to write it was always there in the back of my mind, but it became rather unimportant in my daily life and I am so sorry. But the fact that you guys continued to review, and were still WAITING for me, that's what has motivated me to write this chapter. I don't deserve you guys, but thank you. As well as the fact that I promised my friend to I'd get the chapter up before she goes to school on Monday, so THANK YOU VERO!  
I'm so sorry if this chapter is terrible, I wasn't sure how to go about it and I'm still not. I hope it's ok! **

**Random Someone: I live in Canada :) **

**Clouds347: E3 **

Once the final bell rang, I dashed to my locker as quickly as possible; shoving my books haphazardly into my bag before trying to squeeze through the mass of people exiting the school and hoping none of my friends saw me and dragged me on the 'date'. With everyone coming, it would most likely turn out to be more of an interrogation. I really don't know what Uriah was thinking when he suggested we go paintballing. Not really a 'first date' kind of thing.

I'm almost to the parking lot when someone grabs the strap of my bag and pulls me back sharply. I slip and fall back against someone and we both topple over and hit the ground, despite attempts to stay up.

I land with a thud on my back, narrowly avoiding landing on Christina's stomach. "Ow." I grumble slowly standing and wincing. I stretch my back out as Christina stands up herself.

"Were you trying to get away from the 'date' Tris?" Christina asks innocently. "More like couples night now though..." She mutters before perking up and saying cheerfully, "But if you really want to leave, then all you have to do is admit your relationship's fake."

I clench my jaw, annoyed by her stubbornness, ironic since Tobias tells me I am the most stubborn person he knows, before crossing my arms and telling her, "It isn't fake."

"Then why were you trying to sneak off?" She asks, grabbing my arm and dragging me through the throngs of people leaving the school and around to the back where the rest of our friends are.

"Because I'm not comfortable going on a 'date'," I say using air quotes, "Or at least you guys' definition of a date with all of you guys around. Besides, it'll be more of an interrogation than anything else."

"Psh, yes, well of course it is. There are questions we need to know the answers for." She tells me and I roll my eyes. "Besides, you need to be less... conservative and more dauntless!"

I sigh and walk with her to our group of friends who all look up when we appear. "There they are! Why do you girls always take so long with everything?" Uriah asks grinning and jumping back just in time to narrowly avoid a punch to the face from Marlene. "Chill! It was just a joke."

"Yeah, yeah." Zeke says absently, ending his cal on the phone. "You keep up with your charming the ladies so much they wanna punch you. I have better news." He says turning to us with a grin. "So, because I am pure awesome I got us in to the paintball place for free."

"Oh? And how'd you swing that?" Tobias asks from his spot leaning against his motorcycle.

"I'm Zeke, respect my Zeke-ness!" He says confidently.

I raise an eyebrow and no one says a word until Shauna breaks the stunned silence. "Yeah, how about no?"

"Hey! You're supposed to be on _my _side!" Zeke whines. Shauna puts her hands on her hips and cocks it out to the side while giving him the 'are-you-freaking-serious' look. "Fine. Fine _don't _be on my side, see if I care." Zeke pouts.

"Alright children, feel free to tell us how you got us in for free anytime... Ya know, just so we know whether or not we're doing anything illegal..." Will says looping his arm around Christina's waist.

Zeke sighs, rolling his eyes. "Alright, _fine. _I happen to know the guy who runs the place, Harrison. He's an old friend family friend... You should've met him Uriah."

"Harrison?" Uriah asks taking a moment. "Oh yeah! Sweet."

"Yeah, so we don't have to pay _and _we'll be the only ones there. How great am I?" Zeke asks grinning.

"I applaud you sheer genius." Tobias says blandly.

Zeke gives him a bored look. "I'm going to kick your ass later."

"Alright ladies, let's not cause a scene." Marlene says rolling her eyes at Tobias and Zeke. They both narrow their eyes at her, earning a big smile from her. "So shall we get going?"

Everyone agrees and Tobias nods towards his motorcycle, motioning for me to go with him. I manage to get beside him when Christina grabs my arm. "Nu-uh. You're coming with me so Mister Knight and Shining Armor here can't hide you away."

Tobias raises an eyebrow and tries to hide his grin. "Wasn't the point of this getting me and Tris on a date? Now you're gonna steal her away?"

Christina purses her lips and then narrows her eyes at Tobias before letting go of my arm and taking a slow steps back. "Fine. But if you two don't show up, there will be no place in this country that you can hide from me." And with that she spins on her heel and walks to her car with Will already I the passenger's seat.

"This is your one and only chance." Tobias murmurs as we watch Christina pull away, making the 'I'm watching you' gesture where you point your two fingers at your eyes and then the other person. I chuckle a little at that and turn to look at Tobias. "This is the one chance you get to decide if you wanna go or if you want to ditch."

I sigh and watch Christina and Will leave, along with everyone else, leaving us the only two from our little group in the parking lot. But not without Zeke honking his horn and telling us to hurry the hell up. "I would love to just ditch them and watch a movie or something, but Christina really wasn't kidding. She will hunt us down and kick our asses with her high-heeled boots."

Tobias snorts and mutters, "Those things would hurt like a mother to be kicked with. So shall we get going then? 'Cause ya know, what's more fun that shooting each other with gelatin capsules of paint?"

I snort, but get on his motorcycle behind him, securing the helmet he hands me on my head. I wrap my arms around his waist and press my cheek against his back, just at the top of his spine. I breathe in the scent that is uniquely him, when I get this weird feeling in my stomach. It's almost like the butterflies I get when I'm close to him, but more intense and more... foreboding.

"Hey, Four?"

"Yeah?" He asks, looking over his shoulder at me. I feel weird looking at him like this, me behind him wearing his helmet that feels too tight even though I _know _it's fairly loose on me and him without a helmet at all.

"Is it just me that feels like something terrible is going to happen?" I ask softly.

He stares off to the side for a moment, the dark blue in his eyes becoming a bit distant, the colour blending in with the small patch of lighter blue in the corner of his left iris. And when he purses his lips slightly, the small scar on his chin, that he gained while trying to eat a staple when we were two, stands out. I'm unsure as to why everything feels magnified in this moment, like somehow remembering all this will be important one day. "I get it too, but it's probably just nerves and the fact that both of us are just going to be interrogated all night." He says, finally smiling at me a little, before the natural down curve of his lips returns. I used to laugh at him because it looked he was always mad out something.

I still feel uneasy, but I find it in me to return his smile with a small one of my own, before hugging his waist tighter. "Alright, let's get this over with."

And so we speed off. Even though it doesn't seem like it. Even as I watch us race by the blurry cars, everything feels like it's in slow motion. We take a sharp right and ride down that road until all of a sudden a semi truck jackknife not fifty feet in front of us.

Time seems to go even slower as my brain tries to process everything that's happening through the low buzz in my ears that is gradually filling my head. A car hits the semi. It doesn't explode in a fiery blast like in the movies; the car just crunches together and I'm sure if I could hear anything, I would hear the sickening sound of metal crushing and grinding against metal as the airbag bursts out to 'help' the driver. Another car hits the semi and bounces off, skidding close to us. But how could it be so close? We're in the other side of the road. And then my slow, lethargic brain catches up and we're skidding. Tobias has yanked the motorcycle to the side and now we're skidding and the bike is at a bad angle and the two of us are extremely close to the ground and the bouncing car is heading right at us. Or maybe we're heading straight for it. Either way it's closing in and he can't stop and he can't move us and even through the grey fuzz I hear, clear as crystal, Tobias' shrill scream of "Tris!" right before he lets go and the bike drops to the ground and Tobias' arms are around me and they're hard and yet soft and familiar and comforting, even though we're rolling. We're rolling on the pavement and Tobias has tucked me against his chest and his one arm is wrapped around my waist and the other is cradling my head to his chest and it's familiar because it's him, it's always been him but we're rolling and it's hard and my everywhere is starting to ache and I can't feel anything except his arms around me and the sticky liquid landing on my shoulder and that's on the ground right where I roll.

And then I remember the helmet. I'm wearing his helmet. And slowly the world starts to lose its edge and there's black at the corners of my eyes and I feel tired, oh so tired.

And then finally, I don't see anything but the black shirt he's wearing, I don't feel the liquid and I think we've stopped rolling but I'm losing the feel of his arms around me but they're still there.

And then everything goes black.

**A/N- Not the happy return you were hoping for, huh? Well I couldn't write the paintball scene no matter how many times I tried in a month but this came easy... don't know what that says but oh well! Please review and tell me how you feel, even if you hate me for this. LOVE YA, BYE-BYE!**


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